TT 


THEWlZflRtWkSEfl 


-       SWB^^E 


*§y  Jtyy  f(p  cUwo  od 


TT 


u 


TT 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00022228750 


THE 

GAMMANS  POETRY 

COLLECTION 


In  Memory  of 

GEORGE  H.  GAMMANS,  II 

Class  of  1940 

First  Lieutenant  Army  Air  Corps 

Distinguished  Service  Cross 

Missing  in  Action  January  15,  1943 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINA  LIBRARY 


t 

' u 


• 


' 


THE 
WIZARD  OF  THE  SEA 


or 


A  Trip  Under  the  Ocean 
By  ROY  ROCKWOOD 

Author  of  "A  Schoolboy's  Pluck,"  Etc. 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY,  PUBLISHERS 

NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1900 

by 

THE  MERSHON  COMPANY 


THE  WIZARD  OF  THE  SEA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCING    OUR   HEROES. 

"  Hip,  hurrah !     Hip,  hurrah !  " 

"  Well..  I  declare;  Mont  Folsom,  what  is  the 
matter  with  you  ?  " 

"  Matter  ?  Nothing  is  the  matter,  Tom,  only 
I'm  going  to  a  boarding  school — just  the  best 
place  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  too — Nautical  Hall, 
on  the  seacoast." 

"  Humph !  I  didn't  know  as  how  a  boarding 
school  was  such  a  jolly  place,"  grumbled  old  Tom 
Barnstable.  "  They'll  cane  ye  well  if  ye  git  into 
mischief,  lad." 

"Will  they,  Tom?  What  for?  I  never  do 
any  wrong,"  and  Mont  Folsom  put  on  a  very 
sober  face. 

"  Jest  to  hear  the  lad !     Never  do  no  mischief ! 


a  THE    WIZARD   OF  THE  SEA. 

Ha !  ha !  Why  you're  the  wust  boy  in  the  town 
fer  mischief,  Mont — an'  everybody  knows  it.  A 
nautical  school,  did  ye  say.  Maybe  they'll  take 
ye  out  in  a  ship  some  time  in  that  case." 

"  They  do  take  the  pupils  out — every  summer, 
so  Carl  Barnaby  was  telling  me.  He  goes  there, 
you  know,  and  so  does  Link  Harmer." 

"  Then  you  an'  Carl  will  make  a  team — an' 
Heaven  help  the  folks  as  comes  in  your  way," 
added  Tom  Barnstable  decidedly. 

"  But  we  are  not  so  bad,  I  tell  you,  Tom,"  said 
Mont,  but  with  a  sly  twinkle  in  his  bright  eyes. 

"  Oh,  no,  not  at  all.  But  jest  you  tell  me  who 
drove  the  cow  into  Squire  Borden's  dining  room 
and  who  stuffed  the  musical  instruments  of  the 
brass  band  with  sawdust  at  the  Fourth  of  July 
celebration?  You  never  do  anything,  you  little 
innocent  lamb ! " 

And  with  a  loud  guffaw  the  old  character  saun- 
tered down  the  street  toward  his  favorite  resort, 
the  general  store. 

Montrose  Folsom  continued  on  his  way.  He 
was  a  handsome  youth  of  fifteen,  tall  and  square- 
shouldered,  with  a  taking  way  about  him  that  had 


INTRODUCING   OUR  HEROES.  3 

made  him  a  host  of  friends.  He  was  the  only  son 
of  Mrs.  Alice  Folsom,  a  rich  widow. 

A  moment  after  leaving  Tom  Barnstable,, 
Mont  reached  the  home  of  his  particular  chum, 
Lincoln  Harmer.  Throwing  open  the  gate,  he 
espied  Link  in  the  barnyard,  and  made  a  rush  for- 
ward. 

"  Hurrah !  hurrah !  hurrah !  " 

"  That  settles  it,  Mont,  you're  going  with  me 
next  term !  "  exclaimed  Link,  a  bright  fellow  of 
our  hero's  age. 

"  If  I  wasn't  I'd  sing  a  dirge  instead  of  shout- 
ing, Link.  Yes,  it's  all  settled,  and  I'll  be  ready 
to  start  with  you  Monday." 

"  Your  mother  has  written  to  Captain 
Hooper?" 

"  Yes,  and  got  word  back  in  to-day's  mail." 

"Good!" 

"  I'm  to  buy  a  lot  of  things  down  to  Carley's 
store  and  then  go  home  and  start  to  pack  up. 
Come  on." 

Arm  in  arm,  the  two  chums  made  their  way  to 
the  large  general  store,  where  Tom  Barnstable 
was  again  encountered.     Here  Mont  purchased 


4  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

some  extra  underclothing  his  mother  said  he 
needed.  While  he  was  at  this  Tom  Barnstable 
came  close  to  him. 

"When  are  ye  goin'  away?"  he  asked. 

"  Monday  morning,  six  o'clock." 

"  Don't  fergit  the  old  man,  Mont.  We've 
had  lots  of  good  times — fishin'  an'  huntin',  ye 
know." 

That  was  Tom  Barnstable,  good-natured  and 
willing  to  do,  but  an  absolute  beggar  at  the 
slightest  chance. 

"  I  won't  forget  you,  Tom,  not  I,"  said  the 
merry-hearted  lad.  "  Here  you  are,"  and  he 
slipped  a  shining  dollar  into  the  man's  hand.  A 
moment  later  he  called  one  of  the  store  clerks 
aside. 

"  Have  you  any  of  those  April-fool  cigars 
left?  "  he  whispered. 

"  Yes— just  four." 

"  I'll  take  them." 

The  cigars  bought  and  paid  for,  the  boy  put 
three  of  them  in  an  inside  pocket  and  then  turned 
the  fourth  over  to  Tom  Barnstable. 

"  Here,  Tom,  put  the  pipe  away  and  have  a 


INTRODUCING   OUR  HEROES.  $ 

real  Havana  to  celebrate  the  parting,"  he  said,  and 
the  old  man  immediately  did  as  requested. 

The  cigar  burnt  all  right  for  just  half  a  minute. 
Then  something  began  to  bulge  at  the  end.  It 
kept  growing  larger  and  larger,  forming  into 
what  is  called  a  Pharaoh's  serpent,  three  or  four 
feet  long. 

Tom  Barnstable's  eyes  began  to  blaze.  He 
stared  at  Mont  wildly. 

"  Who — what — what  is  that?  "  he  stammered. 
"  Great  Scott !     I've  got  'em !  " 

And,  dashing  the  weed  to  the  floor,  he  rushed 
from  the  country  store,  with  the  boys'  laugh  ring- 
ing in  his  ears. 

"  He'll  remember  you  now,  no  doubt  of  that!  " 
said  Link  merrily. 

The  day  was  Saturday,  and  it  was  a  busy  one 
for  both  Mont  and  Link,  with  packing  trunks  and 
bags,  and  getting  ready  otherwise. 

The  Sabbath  passed  quietly  enough,  and  five 
o'clock  Monday  morning  found  the  two  boys  on 
their  way  to  Nautical  Hall. 

The  run  of  the  train  was  to  New  York,  and 
here  they  fell  in  with  their  mutual  chum,  Carl 


6  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

Barnaby,  a  rich  young  fellow  from  their  town, 
and  several  others  who  will  be  introduced  as  our 
story  progresses. 

From  the  Metropolis  the  boys  took  another 
train  directly  for  the  seacoast.  At  Pemberton 
they  had  to  change  cars,  and  here  they  met  several 
more  scholars  of  Nautical  Hall. 

"  There  is  Ike  Brosnan  and  Hoke  Ummer ! " 
cried  Link.     "  Two  of  our  fellows." 

The  newcomers  were  quickly  introduced.  Ike 
Brosnan  looked  a  whole-souled  fellow  and  full  of 
fun.  Hoke  Ummer,  on  the  other  hand,  seemed 
of  a  decidedly  sour  turn  of  mind. 

"  Hoke  is  a  good  deal  of  a  bully,"  whispered 
Link,  later  on.  "  You  want  to  steer  clear  of  him." 

"  Thanks;  he'll  not  step  on  my  toes,"  returned 
Mont  firmly.  "  The  first  man  who  tries  to  haze 
or  bully  me  will  get  his  fingers  burnt." 

"  Oh,  the  boys  will  be  sure  to  want  a  little  fun. 
You  mustn't  be  too  particular." 

"  I  don't  mean  that — I  mean  they  mustn't  go 
too  far,"  replied  Mont. 

Little  did  he  dream  of  all  the  hazings  and  larks 
to  be  played  ere  that  school  term  should  be  over. 


INTRODUCING  OUR  HEROES.  7 

The  journey  to  the  seacoast  was  devoid  of  any- 
special  incident.  The  ride  on  the  train  was  mag- 
nificent, and  all  enjoyed  it  thoroughly. 

Towards  nightfall  a  landing  was  made  not 
many  miles  from  Eagle  Point.  Here  at  the  dock 
a  long  stage  was  in  waiting  to  take  them  to  the 
Hall.  The  four  boys,  along  with  a  dozen  others, 
got  aboard,  and  they  moved  off  rapidly  for  Nau- 
tical Hall,  two  miles  distant. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A   TERRIFIC   EXPLOSION. 

Nautical  Hall  was  a  large  building  of  brick, 
stone,  and  wood  situated  at  the  top  of  a  small  hill. 
In  front  was  a  level  parade  ground,  and  to  one 
side  the  grounds  sloped  down  to  the  edge  of  a 
small  bay,  while  at  the  other  they  were  flanked  by 
a  heavy  wood. 

The  institution  was  owned  and  managed  by 
Captain  Hooper,  an  ex-army  and  -navy  officer, 
who  looked  to  the  military  drill  of  the  boys  and 
left  the  educational  department  to  an  able  corps  of 
assistants.  With  the  assistants  and  the  gallant 
captain  himself  we  will  become  better  acquainted 
as  our  tale  proceeds. 

Mont  soon  became  acquainted  with  nearly  all 
of  the  one  hundred  and  odd  boys  who  attended 
Nautical  Hall,  and  became  the  leader  of  a  set  com- 
posed of  himself,  Link  Harmer,  Barry  Powell, 
another  lively  lad,   Carl  Barnaby,   his  old-time 


A    TERRIFIC  EXPLOSION.  9 

chum,  Piggy  Mumps,  a  fat  youth,  and  Sam 
Schump,  a  German  pupil,  as  good-natured  as  can 
possibly  be  imagined. 

As  soon  as  the  boys  arrived  they  were  assigned 
to  their  places.  Mont  was  put  in  the  room  with 
the  crowd  above  mentioned.  This  room  con- 
nected with  another,  in  which  were  installed  the 
bully,  Hoke  Ummer;  Bill  Goul,  his  toady,  and 
half  a  dozen  of  the  bully's  cronies. 

"  This  room  will  get  into  a  free  fight  with  that 
gang  some  day,"  was  Barry  Powell's  comment, 
after  Schump,  the  German  boy,  had  related  how 
the  bully  had  treated  him. 

"  Dot's  it,  mine  gracious,"  replied  Sam 
Schump.  "  Ve  vill  git  togedder  an'  show  dem 
vot  ve  can  do.,  aint  it !  " 

Several  days  were  spent  in  getting  ready  for  the 
term.  Mont  was  placed  in  the  first  class,  with 
twenty  others,  and  he  was  likewise  put  in  an  awk- 
ward squad  to  learn  the  steps  and  manual  of  arms, 
for  the  boys  had  regular  military  and  naval  exer- 
cises. 

As  luck  would  have  it,  our  hero  was  placed 
under  one  of  the  assistant  teachers,  and  fared  very 


IO  THE    WIZARD   OF    THE   SEA. 

well,  but  poor  Piggy  Mumps  was  put  in  a  squad 
under  Hoke  Ummer,  who  did  all  he  could  to  make 
the  fat  boy  miserable. 

"  Eyes  right !  Eyes  left !  Front !  "  shouted 
Hoke.  "  Why  don't  you  mind,  you  clown !  "  he 
added  to  poor  Piggy,  who  was  in  a  sweat  to  do 
as  ordered. 

"  Vot  you  say,  eyes  right  an'  den  eyes  left,  ven 
da  vos  right  ?  "  asked  Piggy  innocently. 

"  Silence !  Eyes  right !  Eyes  left !  You 
clown,  can't  you  twist  your  eyes,  or  are  you  too 
fat?  "  roared  Hoke. 

"  Ton't  vos  call  me  a  clown,  you — you  un- 
chentlemanly  poy ! "  cried  Piggy  wrathfully, 
when  without  warning  Hoke  fell  upon  him  and 
hit  him  a  blow  on  the  neck. 

This  was  too  much  for  Piggy,  and  he  ran  out 
of  the  line  and  closed  with  the  bully.  But  he  was 
no  match  for  the  big  boy,  and  Piggy  would  have 
been  severely  punished  had  not  Hoke  been  caught 
by  the  shoulder  and  hurled  backward  against  a 
wall. 

"  Let  him  alone !  "  came  in  the  voice  of  Mont. 
"  You  have  no  right  to  touch  him,  Hoke  Ummer." 


A    TERRIFIC  EXPLOSION.  II 

"  Haven't  I,  though  ?  "  sneered  the  bully.  "  Do 
you  suppose  I'm  going  to  be  made  a  fool  of  by  a 
lump  of  fat  like  that  ?  You  clear  out,  or  I'll  give 
you  a  dose,  too !  " 

"  You  can  try  it  on  any  time  you  please,"  re- 
plied our  hero  quietly. 

"  A  fight !  A  fight !  "  exclaimed  half  a  dozen  at 
once,  and  the  awkward  squad  was  broken  up  on 
the  instant. 

"  A  fight?  "  repeated  the  bully.  "  He'll  get  a 
thrashing — that's  all  it  will  amount  to.  Come 
on  down  to  the  woods  if  you  want  to  have  it 
out." 

"  I'm  willing  to  meet  you,"  returned  Mont,  and 
started  along,  followed  by  Piggy,  Link,  and  a 
dozen  others. 

But  scarcely  had  the  boys  gone  a  rod  before  the 
belfry  bell  rang  out  loudly  five  times. 

That  was  the  signal  for  assembly  on  the  parade 
grounds. 

"  Hullo,  we  can't  go  now ! "  cried  Link. 
"  Boys,  you'll  have  to  postpone  that  mill  till 
later." 

"  I'll  meet  you  after  assembly,"  growled  Hoke 


12  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE  SEA. 

Ummer,  under  his  breath,  as  Captain  Hooper  put 
in  an  appearance. 

"  I'll  be  ready  any  time,"  rejoined  our  hero. 

"  Boys,  we  are  to  have  visitors  in  fifteen 
minutes !  "  shouted  out  Captain  Hooper.  "  Atten- 
tion !  The  captains  will  form  their  companies  on 
the  campus  and  a  salute  will  be  fired  as  the  visi- 
tors enter  the  grounds." 

Orders  were  quickly  passed,  and  inside  of  five 
minutes  the  boy  cadets  were  drawn  up  in  long 
lines,  with  the  officers  of  the  two  companies  in 
their  proper  places. 

The  visitors  were  old  friends  of  the  captain 
who  had  come  to  the  Hall  merely  out  of  curiosity. 
As  their  carriages  approached,  a  cannon  was  run 
out,  and  Link  and  several  others  were  detailed  to 
fire  it  off. 

Link  chose  Mont  to  assist,  and  before  long  all 
was  in  readiness  to  touch  her  off. 

"  Here  they  come!  "  shouted  somebody. 

"  Stand  ready  to  fire ! "  sang  out  Captain 
Hooper,  in  true  military  style.  "  Steady,  boys, 
now — I  expect  all  to  make  the  best  possible  ap- 
pearance.   Fire!" 


A    TERRIFIC  EXPLOSION.  13 

Link  touched  the  cannon  off,  while  our  hero 
and  several  others  stood  close  at  hand. 

Bang! 

The  report  was  terrific.  The  old  cannon  was 
overcharged,  and  was  blown  into  a  thousand 
pieces,  which  flew  in  all  directions. 

Both  Link  and  Mont  were  hurled  flat,  and 
while  the  former  was  seen  to  stagger  up  again, 
our  hero  lay  as  one  dead ! 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  GREAT  FIGHT. 

"He  is  dead!" 

"Run  for  the  doctor!" 

"  A  piece  struck  me,  too !  " 

"  The  cannon  must  have  been  overloaded !  " 

Such  were  some  of  the  cries  which  went  up 
after  the  awful  explosion. 

Captain  Hooper  stood  close  at  hand,  and  in- 
stantly went  to  our  hero's  assistance. 

He  caught  the  youth  up  in  his  arms  and  carried 
him  to  a  shady  spot. 

"  Bring  some  water,"  he  commanded,  but  water 
was  already  at  hand.  With  it  he  bathed  Mont's 
head. 

For  a  minute  there  was  an  intense  silence. 
Then,  with  a  quiver,  the  lad  opened  his  eyes. 

"  Wha — what Did    the   cannon   burst?" 

he  asked  feebly. 


THE  GREAT  FIGHT.  1 5 

"  Hurrah!  He's  all  right!  "  shouted  Link  joy- 
fully, and  inside  of  five  minutes  more  Mont  stood 
up  and  gazed  about  him  in  wonder. 

But  he  was  too  weak  to  take  part  in  the  review, 
and  while  this  went  on  sat  in  a  rustic  chair  under 
the  oak  tree,  with  several  of  the  lady  visitors  by 
his  side. 

The  reception  to  the  guests  over,  the  cadets 
were  dismissed,  and  the  crowd  lost  no  time  in  dis- 
persing. 

Link  remained  with  his  chum,  and  both  walked 
towards  the  lake. 

"  How  do  you  feel?  "  asked  Link  anxiously. 

"  Rather  faint  in  the  legs,  to  tell  the  truth," 
was  the  reply.  "  But  I  guess  I'll  soon  get  over 
it." 

"Ready  to  do  that  fighting?"  demanded  a 
rough  voice  at  their  elbow,  and  Hoke  Ummer 
ranged  up  at  their  side. 

"  For  shame,  Hoke,  Mont  isn't  in  condition, 
and  you  know  it,"  said  Link. 

"  Oh,  nonsense !  "  growled  the  bully.  "  That 
cannon  affair  was  only  a  fake.  He  wasn't  hurt  a 
bit." 


16  THE    WIZARD   OF    THE   SEA, 

This  remark  angered  our  hero,  and,  stepping- 
up,  he  faced  the  bully  defiantly. 

"  I  will  fight  you  whenever  you  say,"  he  said 
stoutly. 

A  boy  standing  near  heard  the  remark,  and  the 
news  spread  like  magic. 

"  A  fight  between  Hoke  and  Mont.  Come  on 
down  to  the  woods." 

The  schoolboy  cadets  needed  no  second  invita- 
tion.   A  score  started  from  the  campus  instantly. 

They  were  about  evenly  divided  as  to  who 
would  win. 

The  bully  was  known  to  be  heavy  and  strong. 

Yet  our  hero  had  shown  lots  of  pluck. 

In  a  corner  of  the  grounds,  shut  out  from  view 
from  the  school  windows  by  a  belt  of  trees,  the 
boys  assembled  to  witness  the  conflict. 

Mont  prepared  for  the  encounter,  assisted  by 
Link. 

Ummer,  satisfied  of  an  easy  victory,  placed  him- 
self in  the  hands  of  his  toady  and  backer,  Bill 
Goul. 

When  the  combatants  were  declared  ready  they 
faced  each  other. 


THE   GREAT  FIGHT.  1 7 

As  Hoke  looked  into  the  unflinching  eyes  of 
his  opponent  the  smile  of  satisfaction  he  had 
worn  for  the  past  few  hours  suddenly  faded. 

He  could  see  he  must  do  his  best  to  win. 

"  But  I'll  mash  him,  see  if  I  don't,"  he  said  to 
his  toadies. 

"That's  right,  Hoke!" 

"  Show  him  what  you  can  do." 

Mont  said  nothing. 

"  He's  a  tough  one,"  whispered  Link.  "  Be- 
ware of  a  foul." 

"  I'll  have  my  eyes  open." 

The  boys  took  off  their  coats  and  vests. 

A  ring  was  formed  and  our  hero  and  the  bully 
got  into  position. 

"  Time !  "  cried  one  of  the  older  boys,  and  the 
great  fight  began. 

At  first  Mont  was  cautious,  for  he  wanted  to 
take  his  opponent's  measure,  so  to  speak. 

Sure  of  victory,  the  bully  rushed  at  him,  and 
aimed  a  blow  at  Mont's  nose. 

Our  hero  ducked,  and  Hoke's  fist  only  sawed 
the  air. 

"  That  was  a  clean  duck." 


1 8  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

"  Land  him  one,  Hoke !  " 

"  Go  for  him,  Folsom !  " 

Around  and  around  the  ring  went  the  two 
boys. 

Then  the  bully  aimed  another  blow  at  our  hero. 

As  quick  as  a  flash  our  hero  warded  it  off. 

Then  out  shot  his  fist,  and  the  bully  of  Nautical 
Hall  got  a  crashing  blow  in  the  chin  that  knocked 
him  clean  off  his  feet. 

What  a  yell  went  up ! 

"  Hoke  is  knocked  out !  " 

"  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  blow  ?  " 

Wild  with  rage,  the  bully  was  assisted  to  his 
feet  by  several  friends. 

The  blood  flowed  from  his  chin  and  from  a  cut 
lip. 

"  I'll  show  you  yet !  "  he  hissed,  and  again  went 
at  Mont. 

But  our  hero  was  cool  and  collected,  while  the 
bully  was  excited. 

The  bully  got  in  one  little  body  blow,  but  that 
was  all,  while  our  hero  fairly  played  all  over  his 
face. 

"  Better  give  it  up,  Hoke!  " 


THE   GJREA  T  FIGHT.  1 9 

"You  are  outclassed  against  Mont  Folsom!" 

"  Let  me  be !  "  howled  the  bully. 

With  every  blow  that  our  hero  delivered  Um- 
rr.er's  anger  increased. 

His  reputation,  he  felt,  was  at  stake. 

If  he  was  beaten  that  would  be  the  end  of  him, 
so  far  as  bossing  the  boys  was  concerned. 

At  last  Mont  hit  him  a  stinging  blow  on  the  ear 
that  caused  him  to  roll  over  and  over. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ON  THE  ROAD. 

The  bully  was  knocked  out  completely,  and  had 
to  acknowledge  Mont  the  victor  of  the  encounter. 

This  he  did  with  very  bad  grace,  and  a  minute 
later  sneaked  off  with  his  toady. 

"  I'll  get  even  for  that,"  he  growled.  "  He'll 
be  sorry  he  ever  tackled  me." 

"  You'll  have  to  watch  Hoke  Ummer,"  said 
Link,  some  time  later,  when  the  crowd  had  dis- 
persed.   "  He  is  a  treacherous  fellow." 

"  I'll  have  my  eyes  open,"  returned  our  hero. 

Yet  little  did  he  dream  of  the  dastardly  way  in 
which  the  bully  would  try  to  get  even. 

It  did  not  take  Mont  long  to  settle  down  at 
Nautical  Hall.  The  fight  had  made  him  many 
friends,  and  established  him  as  a  sort  of  leader 
among  a  certain  set. 

On  the  following  Saturday  Link  proposed  that 
he,  Barry  Powell,  and  Mont  take  a  stroll  down  to 
the  village. 


ON   THE  ROAD.  21 

The  others  were  willing,  and  soon  the  party 
was  on  the  way. 

"  I'll  get  some  stuff  for  a  midnight  feast  while 
I  am  at  it,"  said  Mont. 

Soon  the  school  was  left  behind,  and  they  came 
out  on  the  village  highway. 

"  Hark !  "  cried  Barry  suddenly. 

"  What  is  it?  "  demanded  Mont. 

Barry  was  listening  intently  to  a  dull,  heavy 
tramping  sound,  which  was  wafted  faintly  toward 
them  on  the  breeze. 

"  Do  you  hear  that  ?  "  he  asked  excitedly. 

Link  and  Mont  listened,  and  could  distinctly 
hear  a  low  thud,  thud,  thud  in  the  distance. 

"  What  does  it  mean  ?  "  Link  asked. 

"  It  means  that  a  pair  of  ponies,  or  horses,  have 
run  away,  and  are  coming  along  at  a  tearing 
gallop." 

As  if  in  corroboration  of  Barry's  words,  at  that 
moment  a  light  phaeton,  drawn  by  two  high- 
spirited  ponies,  which  were  pounding  along  at  the 
top  of  their  speed,  burst  round  the  bend  of  the 
road. 

The  vehicle  was  rocking  from  side  to  side,  and 


22  THE    WIZARD   OF  THE   SEA. 

every  moment  threatened  to  hurl  it  into  one  of  the 
deep  ditches  which  lined  the  road. 

As  the  boys  gazed  at  the  approaching  carriage 
Mont's  heart  seemed  to  stand  still. 

"  Fellows !  "  he  cried,  "  there  is  someone  in  the 
phaeton — a  lady,  I  believe." 

"  So  there  is !  "  gasped  Link,  in  tones  of  horror. 
"What  shall  we  do?" 

"  We  must  stop  them." 

With  his  face  whiter  than  usual,  and  his  lips 
tightly  compressed,  our  hero  ran  down  the  road. 

"  He  is  courting  death,"  said  his  chum,  beneath 
his  breath,  "  but  we  may  be  of  some  use." 

And  both  started  after  their  companion. 

Mont  was  running  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  for  he 
saw  that  the  occupant  of  the  carriage  was  only  a 
young  girl,  and  utterly  helpless,  and  that  every 
second's  delay  endangered  her  life. 

On  and  on  he  went,  until  he  was  within  a  score 
of  yards  of  the  maddened  steeds. 

Then  he  planted  himself  firmly  in  the  middle  of 
the  road  and  prepared  for  a  spring. 

Fiercely  the  ponies  dashed  onward. 

Nearer  and  nearer  they  came,  until  it  seemed 


ON  THE  ROAD.  23 

they  must  inevitably  trample  him  beneath  their 
iron-shod  hoofs. 

But  our  hero  never  wavered. 

Motionless  he  crouched  there  until  the  end  of 
the  pole  almost  touched  his  cheek. 

Then  he  leaped  up  and  caught  both  the  bridles 
in  his  strong,  nervous  grip. 

The  ponies,  with  loud  whinnies  of  rage,  tossed 
up  their  heads  and  lifted  him  from  his  feet,  but  he 
clung  tenaciously  to  them. 

They  dragged  him  along  the  ground  for  a  few 
yards,  and  then  their  speed  began  to  slacken. 

Link  now  came  up,  and  the  vicious  little  brutes 
were  brought  to  a  standstill. 

Then  Mont,  thoroughly  exhausted,  sank  in  a 
heap  upon  the  ground. 

As  soon  as  the  carriage  was  stopped  in  its  wild 
career,  a  fair  and  beautiful  girl  sprang  out. 

"  Oh,  is  he  very  much  hurt  ?  "  she  cried,  as  she 
raised  her  clasped  hands  in  despair. 

Our  hero  staggered  to  his  feet,  and  as  he  gazed 
on  the  fairy-like  form  and  sweet,  delicate  face  his 
cheeks  flushed  and  his  heart  beat  quickly. 

"  I   am   not   hurt   at   all,"   he   said    stoutly, 


24  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

although  his  arms  and  legs  and  every  portion  of 
his  body  ached  as  though  he  had  been  upon  the 
rack. 

"How  can  I  thank  you?"  she  exclaimed. 
"  If  it  had  not  been  for  you,  I  shudder  to  think 
what  might  have  happened.    You  saved  my  life." 

At  this  praise  our  hero  blushed  more  than  ever. 

"  I  require  no  thanks,"  he  said.  "  I  am  re- 
warded enough  by  knowing  I  have  been  of  some 
service  to  you,  but  I  think  you  are  scarcely  strong 
enough  to  be  trusted  with  such  high-spirited 
animals." 

"  My  father  would  never  have  thought  of  such 
a  thing,"  she  replied.  "  He  alighted  at  a  cottage 
to  visit  one  of  his  old  friends,  and  while  he  was 
inside  the  ponies  bolted.  But  here  he  comes,  and 
I  know  he  will  be  better  able  to  thank  you  than  I 
am." 

She  pointed  to  the  figure  of  a  tall,  elderly  gen- 
tleman, of  upright  carriage  and  aristocratic  bear- 
ing, who  was  coming  up  the  road  at  a  rapid 
pace. 

"It's  Judge  Moore,"  whispered  Link;  "he 
owns  a  fine  place  a  couple  of  miles  from  here." 


ON   THE  ROAD.  25 

In  another  moment  our  hero  found  himself 
being  presented  to  the  judge,  who  overwhelmed 
him  with  praise. 

"  You  must  come  and  dine  with  us,  you  and 
your  friends,"  said  the  judge;  "  there  will  only  be 
myself  and  my  daughter  Alice.  Nay,  you  must 
make  no  excuses.  I  shall  call  upon  Captain 
Hooper  and  tell  him  all  about  it,  and  if  ever  you 
require  a  friend  do  not  forget  to  come  to  me." 

Mont  would  have  respectfully  declined  the  in- 
vitation, but  a  glance  from  Alice  Moore  prevented 
him  from  doing  so. 

He  therefore  thanked  the  judge  for  his  kind- 
ness, and  then  the  boys  took  their  leave. 

Our  hero  simply  raised  his  cap,  but  Alice  put 
out  her  hand. 

"  You  will  be  certain  to  come?  "  she  asked  in 
a  low  tone. 

"  Certain,"  he  replied. 

The  news  of  Mont's  heroism  spread  through 
Nautical  Hall,  and  he  speedily  found  himself  a 
decided  hero. 


CHAPTER  V. 

HOKE     UMMER'S     TREACHERY. 

Our  hero  succeeded  on  the  following  Monday 
in  getting  a  quantity  of  cake,  pie,  and  other  stuff 
from  town  and  hiding  them  in  an  unoccupied 
bedroom. 

He  was  also  promised  a  dozen  bottles  of  root 
beer  and  soda  water,  but  these  he  was  unable  to 
smuggle  into  the  school,  owing  to  the  watchful- 
ness of  Captain  Hooper  and  his  assistants. 

Accordingly,  he  hid  the  stuff  in  the  bushes  near 
the  lake,  and  decided  to  go  after  it  late  at  night. 

He  unfolded  his  plan  to  Link,  Barry,  and  Carl 
Barnaby,  and  this  plan  was  overheard  by  Hoke 
Ummer. 

Next  to  the  empty  bedroom  was  a  window 
overlooking  the  side  playground.  From  this  win- 
dow Mont  decided  to  reach  the  ground  by  aid  of 
a  long  rope. 

This  was  the  only  way  to  get  out,  as  after  nine 

26 


HOKE    UMMER'S   TREACHERY.  27 

o'clock  all  the  doors  and  windows  below  were 
locked  in  such  a  fashion  they  could  not  be  opened. 

That  evening  our  hero,  with  a  light  heart,  re- 
paired to  the  empty  bedroom. 

Opening  the  boxful  of  stuff,  he  spread  out  upon 
a  tablecloth  of  newspapers  a  prettily  decorated 
ham,  a  couple  of  cold  roast  chickens,  a  fine  apple 
pie,  a  quantity  of  mince  pies,  and  a  varied  assort- 
ment of  choice  fruits  and  cake. 

All  these  arranged  to  his  satisfaction,  he  looked 
at  his  watch,  and  then  sat  down  and  waited. 

It  was  just  half-past  eight,  and  in  another 
half-hour  servants  and  masters  would  all  have  re- 
tired for  the  night. 

After  what  appeared  to  the  watcher  to  be  an 
age  the  great  school  clock  tolled  solemnly  out  the 
hour  of  nine. 

Then  Mont  drew  out  a  thick  rope  from  beneath 
the  bed  and  left  the  room. 

Soon  he  was  at  the  window. 

Throwing  up  the  lower  sash,  our  hero  fastened 
one  end  of  the  rope  securely  and  threw  the  other 
out. 

"  Just  the  right  length,"  he  said,  and  then  he 


«8  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE  SEA. 

swung  himself  over  the  window  sill.  "  I'll  soon 
have  the  rest  of  the  stuff  up." 

The  door  of  one  of  the  spare  bedrooms  was 
opened,  and  Ummer  stepped  into  the  corridor. 

As  the  light  of  the  moon  fell  upon  his  face  it 
looked  strangely  white  and  ghastly. 

His  lips  were  tightly  compressed  and  his  eyes 
had  in  them  a  horrible  glare  as  he  stepped 
stealthily  but  quickly  to  the  window. 

Arrived  there,  he  crouched  low  down  that  he 
might  not  be  seen  by  any  person  outside. 

Then,  with  deft  ringers,  he  untied  the  knot  by 
which  the  rope  was  secured. 

There  was  heard  a  loud,  wild  cry,  followed  by 
a  dullj  heavy  thud. 

Then  all  was  still. 

The  bully  crept  away  along  the  corridor  and 
down  the  stairs,  his  heart  beating  as  though  it 
would  burst  its  bounds. 

A  little  before  twelve  o'clock  that  night  several 
dark  figures  might  have  been  seen  stealing 
cautiously  along  the  corridors. 

All  these  figures  made  their  way  to  one  com- 
mon spot 


HOKE    UMMER'S    TREACHERY.  29 

This  was  the  bedroom  Mont  had  mentioned. 

Arrived  there,  they  found  everything  prepared 
for  the  feast,  but  no  host. 

"  What  a  strange  thing  for  Mont  to  do,"  said 
Carl  Barnaby;  "  to  invite  us  all  here  and  not  be 
present." 

"  It  isn't  very  gentlemanly  of  him,"  submitted 
Barry. 

"  You  talk  like  a  fool,"  said  Link.  "  Some- 
thing must  have  happened  to  him." 

"  I  saw  him  at  supper,  and  he  was  all  right 
then." 

"  Perhaps  some  of  the  tramps  have  waylaid  him 
on  the  road,"  suggested  another  boy,  who  had 
been  sitting  very  white  and  very  quiet,  in  one  cor- 
ner of  the  room. 

Everyone  turned  to  the  speaker. 

"  Mine  cracious,  dot's  so,"  put  in  Sam  Schump. 
"  Besser  we  go  an'  see?  " 

Without  delay  a  search  was  begun. 

A  rope  was  procured,  and  Link  was  the  first 
person  out  of  the  window. 

"Hullo!" 

"  What's  up?  "  asked  those  above. 


30  THE    WIZARD  OF  THE  SEA. 

"  Bring  a  light.  Mont  has  fallen  and  hurt  him- 
self." 

A  light  was  quickly  procured,  and  one  after 
another  the  boys  came  down  the  rope. 

Our  hero  lay  at  the  foot  of  a  large  lilac  bush. 

It  was  this  bush  which  had  saved  his  life. 

When  the  rope  gave  way,  had  he  fallen  on  the 
ground  he  would  most  likely  have  been  killed. 

Link  brought  some  water,  and  he  was  soon 
revived. 

In  the  meantime,  from  another  window,  over- 
head, Hoke  Ummer  watched  proceedings. 

When  he  saw  Mont  get  up  his  hateful  face 
plainly  showed  his  chagrin. 

"  How  was  it  you  didn't  fasten  the  rope 
tightly?"  asked  Link. 

"  I  thought  I  did,"  returned  our  hero.  "  In 
fact,  I  am  certain  I  did,"  he  added. 

"  But  it  gave  way  and  let  you  down." 

Our  hero  shook  his  head.  He  couldn't  under- 
stand it  at  all. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  was  able  to  go  with  his 
friends  and  show  them  where  the  root-beer  and 
soda-water  bottles  were  hidden. 


HOKE    UMMER' S   TREACHERY.  31 

Loaded  down  with  the  stuff,  the  crowd  re- 
turned to  the  Hall,  and  the  feast  began. 

Nearly  all  of  the  boys  of  Mont's  age  had  been 
invited  in  a  general  way,  and  a  lively  time  was 
had  for  fully  an  hour. 

Hoke  Ummer  could  not  stand  it  to  see  his  rival 
triumph  over  him,  and  so  slipped  down  to  the 
room  occupied  by  Moses  Sparks,  one  of  the  under 
teachers. 

"  Mont  Folsom  and  his  crowd  are  having  a 
feast  in  one  of  the  upper  rooms,"  he  said. 

At  once  Moses  Sparks  prepared  to  investigate. 

The  feast  was  at  its  height  when  a  footstep  was 
heard. 

"  Scatter ! "  whispered  Carl  Barnaby,  who 
caught  the  sounds  first,  and  all  of  the  boys  hurried 
from  the  bedroom  by  side  doors  and  managed  to 
get  to  their  own  rooms. 

When  Moses  Sparks  came  up  they  seemed  to 
be  sleeping  like  so  many  lambs. 

"  Ummer  has  been  fooling  me,"  muttered  the 
under  teacher.  "  Or  else  he  was  mistaken."  And 
he  went  off  and  left  the  boys  to  finish  the  feast  in 
peace. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


OUT  ON  THE  BAY. 


In  a  general  way  Mont  suspected  Hoke 
Ummer,  not  of  the  dastardly  trick  he  had  played, 
but  of  playing  the  sneak  and  telling  Moses  Sparks. 

"  I'll  get  square,"  he  said  to  Link  and  Carl. 

Out  in  the  fields  he  had  picked  up  a  dead  snake, 
and  he  now  resolved  to  make  use  of  it  in  a  truly 
original  manner.  As  soon  as  it  was  time  to  retire 
that  night  Mont  slipped  upstairs  and  into  the 
dormitory  occupied  by  Hoke  Ummer,  Goul,  and 
their  chums. 

He  had  the  dead  snake  with  him,  and  put  the 
reptile  in  the  bully's  bed. 

Five  minutes  later  he  was  in  his  own  room 
awaiting  developments. 

They  were  not  long  in  coming. 

A  murmur  of  voices  ended  in  a  wild  shriek  of 
terror. 
;  32 


VI 


OUT  ON   THE  BAY.  33 

"  A  snake !  "  yelled  Hoke.  "  It's  in  my  bed ! 
Save  me !    I'm  a  dead  boy !  " 

His  cry  aroused  everyone,  and  soon  Nautical 
Hall  was  in  a  commotion. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  Hoke?  " 

"He's  got 'em  bad!" 

"A  snake!"  roared  the  bully.  "Take  it 
away." 

He  ran  out  into  the  corridor,  and  soon  a  crowd 
began  to  collect. 

In  the  meantime  Mont  slipped  into  the  room 
and  threw  the  dead  reptile  out  of  the  window. 

Captain  Hooper  tried  to  get  at  the  bottom  of 
the  affair,  but  failed. 

"  You  must  have  been  dreaming,  Ummer,"  he 
said  at  last,  and  sent  all  of  the  boys  off  to  bed. 

During  the  following  week  Nautical  Hall  was 
closed  up,  and  the  schoolboy  cadets  marched  to 
the  head  of  the  bay. 

Here  they  went  into  camp  for  a  month,  part  of 
the  time  being  spent  on  the  bay  and  the  ocean  be- 
yond in  learning  how  to  sail  both  large  and  small 
boats. 

The  sailing  of  the  boats  particularly  interested 


34  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

Mont  and  Carl  Barnaby.  Link  did  not  care  very 
much  for  the  water,  for  when  the  sea  was  rough 
he  was  inclined  to  grow  seasick. 

One  day  Mont  and  Carl  obtained  permission  to 
hire  a  slooop  at  the  town,  and  go  out  for  an  all- 
day  cruise  over  the  bay  and  back. 

They  took  with  them  a  young  fellow  from 
Nautical  Hall  named  John  Stumpton,  a  handy  lad 
who  generally  went  by  the  name  of  Stump.  Since 
Mont  had  arrived  at  the  Hall,  Stump  had  taken 
to  him  greatly,  and  would  do  almost  anything 
that  Mont  asked  of  him.  Stump  was  also  a  great 
friend  to  Carl. 

They  sailed  out  of  sight  of  the  camp,  and 
gradually  crept  up  to  a  large  excursion  boat 
which  was  just  leaving  one  of  the  docks  of  the 
town. 

The  steamboat  was  overcrowded,  every  deck 
being  full  of  humanity  bent  on  having  a  good 
time. 

Some  musicians  were  playing  on  the  forward 
deck,  and  they  drew  quite  close  to  hear  what  was 
going  on. 

Suddenly  a  cry  of  horror  arose. 


OUT  ON   THE  BAY.  35 

A  young  girl  had  been  standing  close  to  the 
rail  on  a  camp  chair  at  the  bow  of  the  boat. 

It  was  Alice  Moore. 

As  the  steamboat  swung  around  the  girl  lost 
her  balance. 

She  tried  to  save  herself,  and,  failing,  pitched 
headlong  into  the  water. 

Our  hero  saw  her  go  under  the  waves. 

"  She'll  be  struck  by  the  paddle  wheel,"  he 
yelled,  and  then,  splash!  he  was  overboard  him- 
self. 

Bravely  he  struck  out  to  save  the  maiden. 

The  order  was  given  to  back  the  steamboat. 

The  wheels  churned  up  the  water  into  a  white 
foam,  but  still  the  momentum  carried  the  large 
craft  on. 

In  the  meantime  our  hero  came  up  and  struck 
out  valiantly  for  the  girl,  who  was  now  going 
down  for  a  second  time. 

"  Save  her !  Save  her !  "  shrieked  Judge 
Moore,  who  was  with  his  daughter. 

Half  a  dozen  life-preservers  were  thrown  over- 
board, but  none  came  to  where  the  girl  could 
reach  them. 


3<5  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

The  judge  wanted  to  join  his  daughter  in  the 
water. 

Strong  hands  held  him  back. 

"  The  young  fellow  will  save  her,  judge." 

"  He's  a  true  hero !  " 

Life-lines  were  thrown  over,  but  even  these  did 
no  good. 

The  steamboat  swung  around,  but  the  run  of 
the  water  washed  the  girl  closer  and  closer  to  the 
paddle  wheel. 

She  now  came  up  a  second  time. 

Should  she  sink  again  all  would  be  over. 

Mont  was  swimming  with  all  the  strength  and 
skill  at  his  command. 

At  last  he  was  within  a  yard  of  the  struggling 
girl. 

The  maiden  threw  up  her  hands  and  went 
under.  As  quick  as  a  flash  our  hero  dove 
down. 

A  second  passed.  Then  up  came  our  hero  with 
the  girl  clinging  to  his  shoulder. 

But  now  the  current  was  apparently  too  strong 
for  both  of  them. 

"Help  us— quick!" 


OUT  ON    THE  BAY.  37 

Carl  and  Stump  heard  the  ery,  and  immediately 
put  about  in  their  sloop. 

Mont  was  swimming  along  on  his  side. 

The  girl  was  too  weak  to  support  herself,  and 
he  was  holding  her  up  well  out  of  the  water. 

It  took  the  sloop  but  a  moment  to  run  up  along- 
side of  the  pair. 

Carl  reached  over  and  caught  hold  of  the  girl 
and  placed  her  on  deck. 

In  the  meantime  our  hero  caught  hold  of  a  rope 
thrown  by  the  old  boatman  and  pulled  himself  up. 

A  cheer  arose  from  those  on  the  excursion 
boat. 

"  She  is  safe  now.,  sure!  " 

The  girl  was  too  exhausted  to  move,  and 
Carl  rubbed  her  hands  and  did  what  he  could 
for  her. 

Stump  ran  up  alongside  of  the  steamboat,  and  a 
little  later  the  girl  was  placed  on  board. 

The  judge  clasped  his  child  to  his  breast. 

"  Go  ahead/'  said  Mont  in  a  low  voice.  "  I 
don't  want  the  crowd  to  stare  at  me." 

"  But  the  judge  wants  to  thank  you,"  began 
Carl;   but  our  hero  would  not  listen. 


38  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

He  was  too  modest,  and  made  Stump  actually 
run  away  from  the  excursion  boat. 

But  five  hundred  people  cheered  Mont  and 
waved  their  handkerchiefs. 

And  this  was  not  the  end  of  the  matter. 

The  next  day  Judge  Moore  called  at  the  camp, 
and  insisted  on  presenting  Mont  with  a  gold 
watch  and  chain.  With  this  gift  came  a  sweet 
letter  from  Alice  Moore  which  made  our  hero 
blush  a  good  deal  when  he  read  it. 

After  this,  nearly  a  week  passed  without  spe- 
cial incident.  Link  was  called  home  on  account 
of  the  death  of  a  relative,  and  Mont  and  Carl  be- 
came closer  chums  than  ever. 

One  day  Hoke  Ummer  was  caught  abusing  one 
of  the  small  boys  so  greatly  that  the  boy  had  to  be 
placed  under  a  doctor's  care. 

The  boy's  father  had  Hoke  arrested.  The  case, 
however,  never  came  to  trial. 

The  consequence  of  the  arrest  was  that  the 
bully  was  dismissed  from  the  school;  and  that 
was  the  last  Mont  saw  of  him. 

"  We  are  well  rid  of  him,"  he  said,  and  Carl 
and  the  others  agreed  with  him. 


OUT  ON   THE  BAY.  39 

One  day  Mont  and  Carl  went  out  for  an  all-day 
cruise  on  the  bay,  taking  John  Stumpton  with 
them. 

When  the  two  schoolboys  started  out  with  the 
hired  lad  they  did  not  intend  to  remain  away 
longer  than  sunset,  and  not  one  of  them  dreamed 
of  the  marvelous  adventures  in  store  for  each  ere 
he  should  be  permitted  to  see  his  native  land 
again. 

The  start  was  made  in  a  fair  breeze,  and  it 
looked  so  nice  overhead  that  Mont  proposed  they 
take  a  short  run  directly  into  the  ocean. 

"  All  right — I'll  go  you,"  answered  Carl 
slangily,  and  away  they  skimmed. 

By  noon  they  were  almost  out  of  sight  of 
land,  and  while  they  were  eating  the  repast 
Stump  had  prepared  Carl  proposed  that  they 
turn  back. 

This  was  hardly  accomplished  when  it  sud- 
denly grew  dark,  and  they  found  themselves 
caught  in  a  squall. 

"  By  gracious !  I  didn't  bargain  for  this !  " 
cried  Carl.  "  If  we  don't  take  care,  we'll  go  to  the 
bottom ! " 


40  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

"  Don't  worry — yet,"  answered  Mont.  "  I 
guess  we'll  get  back  all  right." 

Blacker  and  blacker  grew  the  sky,  until  abso- 
lutely nothing  could  be  seen.  Every  sail  was 
closely  reefed,  and  the  boys  strained  their  eyes  to 
pierce  the  gloom  which  hung  over  them. 

Suddenly  Stump  set  up  a  yell. 

"  Look  out;  there  is  a  ship !  " 

He  got  no  further.  A  large  form  loomed  up 
in  the  darkness.  There  was  one  grinding,  smash- 
ing crash,  and  then  came  a  shock  that  split  the 
light-built  sloop  from  stem  to  stern. 

All  of  the  boys  were  hurled  into  the  boiling  sea. 
But  none  was  hurt;  and,  coming  to  the  surface,  all 
struggled  to  cling  to  the  wreckage  floating  about, 
meanwhile  crying  loudly  for  help. 

When  they  were  picked  up  they  were  thor- 
oughly exhausted,  and  Carl  lost  his  senses  com- 
pletely. 

The  ship  that  had  run  them  down  was  the 
Golden  Cross.  The  captain's  name  was  Savage, 
and  he  was  bound  for  the  Bermudas. 

He  refused  to  stop  anywhere  to  put  the  boys 
off,  saying  he  had  not  the  time  to  do  so. 


OUT  ON   THE  BAY.  4* 

In  reality  he  was  afraid  he  would  be  brought  to 
account  for  wrecking  the  sloop. 

He  would  not  believe  that  Mont  and  Carl  were 
rich,  and  that  their  parents  would  willingly  pay 
him  for  any  trouble  he  might  take  on  their 
behalf. 

"  I'll  keep  'em  on  board  and  make  'em  work 
their  passage,"  he  said  to  his  mate,  a  mean  chap 
by  the  name  of  Slog.  "  We  are  rather  short  of 
hands." 

A  night's  rest  did  wonders  for  the  boys. 

By  morning  the  storm  cleared  off,  and  the 
Golden  Cross  proceeded  swiftly  on  her  way, 
favored  by  a  good  breeze. 

Mont  found  himself  in  the  ill-smelling  fore- 
castle. He  was  awfully  hungry,  and  the  first 
thing  he  did  was  to  make  his  way  to  the  cook's 
galley.  The  cook  smiled  as  Mont  appeared. 
"  Got  around,  eh  ?  "  he  said.  "  Good  for  you.  I 
thought  you  would  be  sick  for  the  rest  of  the  trip 
after  such  an  adventure." 

"  I  am  pretty  tough,"  answered  Mont. 

"  You  look  a  bit  like  a  sailor." 

"  Oh,  I  know  a  thing  or  two  about  the  water," 


42  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

replied  Mont  modestly.  "  But  tell  me,"  he  went 
on,  "  what  sort  of  a  captain  have  you?  " 

"  Oh,  he's  a  caution,  and  so  is  Slog,  the  first 
mate,"  laughed  the  cook.  "  The  captain  is  the 
toughest  man  this  line  of  ships  ever  had." 

"  Humph !  That's  not  encouraging,"  mused 
our  hero.     "  Why  do  the  owners  keep  him?  " 

"  Because  he's  clever.  He  may  be  out  in  all 
weather,  but  he's  never  lost  a  ship." 

"  This  seems  like  an  old  tub,"  observed  Mont, 
looking  around  him. 

"  Yes,  she  isn't  worth  much.  She  pitches  and 
tosses  in  a  gale  awful.  It's  the  oldest  ship  the 
firm's  got." 

"  Is  it  insured  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I  know  the  insurance  is  very  heavy, 
and  it  wouldn't  be  a  bad  job  for  the  owners  if  she 
went  down,"  replied  the  cook. 

"  Bad  job  for  us,  though,"  remarked  Mont. 
"  I  don't  want  to  be  drowned." 

"Have  you  had  any  breakfast?"  asked  the 
cook  good-naturedly. 

"  Not  a  bit." 

"  I  don't  expect  the  regular  hands  will  give  you 


OUT  ON   THE  BAY.  43 

a  chance  of  getting  much.  There's  Sam  Holly 
and  Jerry  Dabble.  One's  a  bully  and  the  other's 
a  sneak." 

"  I  haven't  seen  them  yet." 

"  Fight  shy  of  both  of  them.  They're  no  good. 
They'll  make  you  and  your  chums  do  all  the  work, 
now  you've  come  on  board." 

"  I'll  bet  a  dollar  they  won't  get  a  stroke  of 
work  out  of  me,"  returned  Mont  decidedly. 

"You  will?" 

"  Yes." 

"  Well,  you're  a  plucky  lad,"  exclaimed  the 
cook  admiringly,  "  and  from  your  size  and  looks 
I  should  think  you  could  box." 

"  Just  a  little  bit,"  answered  Mont  smilingly. 

"  The  captain  favors  Jerry  Dabble,  and  listens 
to  all  he  says.  He's  a  regular  sneak.  You  look 
out  for  him." 

"  I  will." 

"  Will  you  have  a  bit  of  breakfast  along  with 
me?  I  can  give  you  a  nice  bit  I've  cut  off  the 
skipper's  ham  and  a  couple  of  eggs." 

"  I'm  with  you,"  said  Mont  readily,  "  and  I'll 
return  your  kindness  on  the  first  opportunity." 


44  THE    WIZARD    OF   THE   SEA. 

In  a  moment  our  hero  was  supplied  with  a  good 
breakfast,  which  was  washed  down  with  a  cup  of 
coffee. 

The  sea  was  rather  high,  although  the  wind  had 
gone  down. 

It  was  not  difficult  to  perceive,  when  Mont 
came  to  examine  her,  that  the  ship  was  a  very  old 
one  and  had  seen  her  best  days. 

Mont  thought  a  trip  to  the  Bermudas  would  be 
very  nice,  but  at  the  same  time  he  did  not  mean  to 
be  the  captain's  slave,  or  the  first  mate's  either. 

He  had  not  shipped  with  them,  and  they  could 
not  legally  make  him  work,  though  he  did  not 
mind  lending  a  hand  if  he  was  asked  in  a  friendly 
manner. 

His  mother  would  pay  for  his  passage  if  she 
was  asked. 

The  officers  evidently  took  him,  Carl,  and 
Stump  to  be  three  sons  of  fishermen,  and  had 
made  up  their  minds  to  treat  them  accordingly. 

When  he  left  the  galley,  Mont  went  to  where 
the  regular  hands  slept  and  messed,  and  where  he 
and  his  companions  had  slept. 

There  was  a  great  outcry  as  he  came  in. 


OUT  ON   THE  BAY.  45 

"Leave  off,  I  say,"  Carl  was  exclaiming;  "I 
won't  have  it.  Two  of  you  onto  me  at  once  isn't 
fair." 

In  a  moment  Mont  was  there.  He  found  the 
two  young  men,  Sam  Holly  and  Jerry  Dabble, 
standing  over  his  chum  with  two  ropes'  ends,  with 
which  they  were  hitting  him. 

"  What  are  you  licking  him  for  ?  "  asked  Mont, 
his  eyes  flashing. 

"  Because  he  won't  get  the  breakfast,"  said 
Holly. 

"  He's  not  your  servant — why  should  he  ?  " 

"  He'll  have  to  do  it,  or  you  will,"  said  Sam  the 
bully,  setting  his  arms  akimbo  and  staring  impu- 
dently at  Mont. 

"  My  good  fellow,"  said  the  latter,  "  don't  you 
make  any  error.  Neither  my  friend  nor  myself 
means  to  do  anything  on  board  this  ship  unless 
we're  asked  civilly." 

Jerry  Dabble  laughed.  "  You're  a  fool  to  talk 
that  way !  "  he  roared. 

Mont  immediately  gave  him  a  cuff  on  the  ears 
which  sent  him  rolling  over  a  bunk. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A     LIVELY     ENCOUNTER. 

The  two  sailors  were  astonished  beyond  meas- 
ure at  Mont's  quick  action. 

"  Good  for  you,  Mont !  "  cried  Carl  Barnaby, 
while  Stump  grinned  with  intense  delight. 

"  I'll  go  and  tell  the  captain,"  growled  Jerry,  as 
he  got  up  slowly. 

Sam  Holly,  who  was  a  thick-set,  heavy-looking 
fellow,  turned  to  Mont.  "  I  have  had  enough  of 
this  nonsense.  Do  you  mean  to  do  your  work  or 
not?" 

"  Certainly  not;  do  it  yourself." 

"  Do  you  want  a  good  hiding?  " 

"  You  can't  give  it  to  me." 

"  I  can  try,  can't  I  ?  "  said  Holly. 

"  So  can  any  other  fool;  but  it  doesn't  follow 
he  will  do  it." 

"  Look  here,  I've  been  two  voyages  before  this. 

You're  a  green  hand  compared  to  me,  and  I'm  boss 

46 


A   LIVELY  ENCOUNTER.  47 

here.  We  are  short-handed.  Do  the  work,  and 
I'll  make  things  easy  for  you;  if  not,  it  will  be 
worse  for  you." 

"  I'll  chance  that,"  said  Mont. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  risk  a  sound  thrashing?  " 

"  Oh,  yes,  I'm  game  for  a  rough-and-tumble. 
It's  sure  to  come  sooner  or  later,  and  we  may  as 
well  get  it  over  at  once." 

"  Mind  your  eye,  then,"  yelled  Holly. 

His  ugly  face  glowed  with  passion,  and  his 
great,  stupid-looking  ears  seemed  to  stick  out  like 
cabbage  leaves. 

"  Come  on,"  he  said. 

"  I'm  ready,"  returned  Mont. 

The  fight  commenced  in  the  little  cabin,  and  it 
was  evident  that  the  combatants  were  in  earnest. 

Our  hero  found  his  opponent  as  strong  as  a 
young  bull,  but  he  had  not  very  much  skill. 

Parrying  his  blows  and  hitting  hard  when  he 
had  a  good  chance,  Mont  punished  him  severely. 

But  he  was  knocked  down  first. 

"  Will  that  do  for  you,"  said  Holly,  "  or  do  you 
want  any  more?  " 

"  More,  please,"  exclaimed  Mont,  getting  up. 


43  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

And  then  he  clipped  Holly  two  heavy  ones  that 
knocked  him  nearly  down  a  ladder. 

Holly  foamed  with  rage.  "  Come  on !  "  he  ex- 
claimed, in  a  husky  voice. 

The  fight  continued  for  ten  minutes,  with  vary- 
ing success.  At  last  Mont  saw  a  good  chance, 
and,  pretending  to  strike  Holly's  face,  he  dropped 
his  hand  and  hit  him  in  the  stomach. 

As  the  bully  fell  back,  gasping  for  breath,  Mont 
exclaimed : 

"  How  do  you  like  it  now,  you  bully  ?  Do  you 
want  any  more  ?  " 

"  Not  this  voyage,"  rejoined  Holly  dismally; 
"  you're  best  man." 

"  It's  a  pity  you  didn't  find  that  out  before,"  re- 
marked Mont.  "  However,  it's  never  too  late  to 
learn.  Perhaps  you  will  get  our  breakfast  ready. 
I'm  master  now.  Do  you  understand  that,  Mr. 
Bully?" 

"  Don't  crow.  I'm  licked  this  time,  but  my 
turn  may  come.  Sit  down  and  have  your 
grub." 

Mont  was  quite  satisfied  with  his  victory. 

He  shook  hands  with  Holly,  and  they  all  sat 


A   LIVELY  ENCOUNTER.  49 

down  together,  making  a  comfortable  breakfast, 
though  the  fare  was  not  luxurious. 

Carl  and  our  hero  went  on  deck  afterward,  and, 
hearing  an  altercation  forward,  ran  in  that  direc- 
tion. 

Captain  Savage  was  beating  a  sailor  with  a 
marlinspike  for  some  breach  of  discipline. 

The  crew  looked  on  without  interfering. 

The  sailor  was  a  fine,  handsome  fellow,  and  in 
vain  begged  the  tyrant  to  desist.  The  poor  fel- 
low's face  was  streaming  with  blood,  and  Mont's 
anger  arose  instantly. 

Rushing  forward,  he  seized  the  captain's  arm, 
and  exclaimed : 

"  Stop  that — I  won't  have  it !  " 

The  next  moment  he  was  alarmed  at  his  rash- 
ness. 

Turning  upon  him  with  incredible  fury,  the 
captain  exclaimed : 

"  How  dare  you  speak  to  me,  youngster !  I'll 
break  every  bone  in  your  body !  " 

At  a  sign  from  the  first  mate,  on  whose  face  sat 
a  smile  of  malicious  satisfaction,  four  men  fell 
upon  Mont,  whose  arms  were  pinioned,  and  he 


5©  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

was  thrown  on  his  back,  where  he  lay  perfectly 
helpless. 

"  Take  him  away,"  continued  Captain  Savage. 
"  I  will  deal  with  him  presently.  It's  a  pity  I 
took  the  young  whelp  on  board;  he  should  have 
drowned  if  I'd  have  known  what  he  was  made  of." 

Strong  arms  lifted  Mont  up,  and  he  was  forced 
into  a  dark  hole,  near  the  cook's  galley,  where  he 
was  half  stifled  with  the  heat  and  smell  of  tar. 

Mont  felt  he  was  now  in  for  it,  and  no  mistake. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

MONT    IS    PUNISHED. 

"  Hang  the  luck,  anyway !  " 

In  a  miserable  state  of  mind,  but  still  very 
angry,  Mont  sat  down  in  his  gloomy  prison,  and 
wondered  what  would  happen  next. 

An  hour  later  the  captain  called  up  the  first 
mate. 

"  Let  the  prisoner  be  brought  forward,  and  call 
the  hands  to  witness  punishment;  muster  them 
all.     I  mean  to  make  an  example." 

The  mate  summoned  the  crew,  all  of  whom 
trooped  forward  with  a  sullen  and  discontented 
air. 

The  first  mate  went  to  Mont,  and  personally 
conducted  him  on  deck. 

"  Now,  .my  lad,"  said  the  captain,  with  a  brutal 
air,  "  I'm  going  to  let  you  know  what  discipline 
is.     Strip!" 


52  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

Looking  around  him  defiantly,  Mont  did  not 
move. 

"Do  you  hear  me?"  thundered  the  captain. 
"Strip!" 

"  Captain  Savage,"  said  Mont  quietly,  "  I  pro- 
test against  this  treatment.  You  saved  my  life 
and  the  lives  of  my  companions,  for  which  I 
thank  you.  We  would  leave  your  ship  at  once  if 
we  could.    As  it  is,  we  are  unwilling  passengers." 

"  You  are  a  part  of  the  crew,  and  must  work 
out  your  passage." 

"  Not  at  all.  We  have  not  signed  articles,  and 
you  have  no  power  over  us  so  long  as  we  conduct 
ourselves  properly." 

"  Why  did  you  interfere  between  me  and  one  of 
my  crew?  But  I'll  waste  no  words  with  you," 
replied  the  captain.  "  Tie  him  to  the  fore- 
mast." 

He  caught  up  the  rope's  end  and  hit  Mont  a 
single  blow. 

He  was  about  to  go  on,  when  the  sailors  ad- 
vanced in  a  body,  and  formed  a  line  between  him 
and  Mont. 

"  Back,     you     scoundrels !      Back,     mutinous 


MONT  IS  PUNISHED.  53 

dogs ! "  exclaimed  the  captain  in  a  greater  rage 
than  ever. 

The  solid  line  remained  immovable,  and  Mont 
was  set  free. 

Both  mates  put  themselves  by  the  captain's  side, 
as  they  feared  a  crisis  was  approaching,  and  they 
determined  to  side  with  the  skipper. 

"  Look'ee  here,  cappen,"  said  an  old,  grizzled 
sailor.  "  I've  shipped  aboard  o'  many  vessels, 
and  I've  seen  a  few  skippers,  but  never  the  likes  o' 
you.  We  don't  want  to  do  you  no  harm,  but  we 
aint  a-goin'  to  stan'  by  and  see  that  poor  lad 
flogged  half  to  death  because  he  interfered  for  one 
o'  us." 

"  I'll  have  you  all  tried  at  the  first  port  I  come 
to !  "  exclaimed  the  captain. 

Slog,  the  mate,  caught  the  captain's  arm. 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  go  below,  and  leave  them 
to  me !  "  he  said. 

"  Not  I.  Where  are  my  pistols  ?  I'll  shoot 
some  of  the  dogs." 

"  Be  guided  by  me,  sir.  Let  them  alone  this 
time,  and  tackle  them  one  by  one.  If  you  don't, 
they'll  do  something  desperate." 


54  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

The  captain  mumbled  something  which  was  in- 
audible.    He  was  almost  speechless  with  rage. 

Suddenly  the  voice  of  the  lookout  man  rang  out 
clearly : 

"  A  strange  sail." 

"  Where  away  ?  "  asked  the  captain. 

"  On  the  larboard  bow,  sir." 

The  captain  took  his  telescope,  and  began  to 
examine  the  strange  sail. 

Everyone  crowded  to  the  side  to  have  a  look, 
and  every  eye  was  soon  searching  the  horizon. 

Even  Mont  shared  the  excitement. 

He  had  a  pocket  glass,  and  brought  it  into  use. 

"  Perhaps  we'll  be  taken  off,"  he  said  to  Carl. 

"  I  sincerely  hope  so,"  replied  his  chum.  "  I've 
had  enough  of  this  ship." 


CHAPTER    IX. 

DOCTOR    HOMER    WODDLE. 

It  was  soon  discovered  that  the  sail  was  noth- 
ing more  or  less  than  a  man  clinging  to  a  chicken 
coop,  who  had  taken  off  his  shirt  and  hoisted  it  on 
high  to  attract  attention. 

When  he  was  neared,  a  boat  was  lowered,  and 
the  unfortunate  man  picked  up  and  brought  on 
board. 

He  was  a  little,  wiry  man,  about  forty-five  years 
of  age,  with  sharp,  intelligent  face,  and  an  expres- 
sion of  anything  but  good  temper. 

"  Which  is  the  captain  of  this  vessel  ?  "  he  asked 
on  coming  aboard. 

"  I  am,"  replied  Captain  Savage. 

"  You've  been  a  long  time  picking  me  up. 
What  do  you  mean  by  it  ?  "  said  the  little  man. 

"  That's  a  cool  remark,"  said  the  captain,  "  con- 
sidering we  have,  in  all  probability,  saved  your 
life." 

55 


56  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

"  And  if  you  have,  you  only  did  your  duty. 
Where  is  your  cabin?  Give  me  some  fresh 
clothes  immediately,  and  something  to  eat  and 
drink." 

"  You've  got  a  nerve,"  said  the  captain,  in- 
clined to  be  angry.  "  I've  a  good  mind  never  to 
save  anyone  again." 

"  That  will  not  matter  much  to  me.  You  are 
not  likely  to  save  me  twice." 

"Who  are  you?" 

"  My  name  is  Homer  Woddle,  sir. 

"  You  speak  loud  enough,"  replied  the  captain. 

"  Bah !  it's  evident  you  are  not  a  man  of  science, 
or  you  would  have  heard  of  me.  I  have  written 
books,  sir — books !  " 

"What  then?" 

"  I  am  a  famous  man.  My  position  in  life  is 
that  of  Secretary  to  the  Society  for  the  Explora- 
tion of  the  Unknown  Parts  of  the  World,  sir,  and 
I  am  making  my  third  voyage." 

"  How  were  you  wrecked  ?  " 

"  That  is  the  strangest  thing.  But  give  me 
to  eat  and  drink,  clothe  me,  and  you  shall 
hear." 


DOCTOR  HOMER    WODDLE.  57 

"  Speak  first,  and  then  I'll  think  of  it,  Mr. 
Woddle,"  said  the  captain. 

The  conversation  was  audible  enough  to  be 
heard  by  all  on  board,  who  crowded  round  the 
speakers  in  a  way  that  showed  how  severely  disci- 
pline on  board  the  ship  had  been  interfered  with 
by  the  late  occurrence. 

"  Well,  well,  well,"  cried  the  little  man,  irri- 
tably, "  what  a  boy  you  are !  I  left  Boston  last 
week  on  board  the  Comet.  Well,  sir,  that  ship 
was  fitted  up  at  a  great  expense  in  order  that  we 
might  make  discoveries.     Do  you  see?  " 

"  Not  clearly  as  yet,"  answered  the  captain. 

"  Tush,  be  quiet,"  exclaimed  the  irritable  little 
man ;  "  don't  interrupt  me.  This  morning  about 
eight  o'clock  we  were  struck  amidships,  but  be- 
low the  water  line,  by  a  wonderful  sea  monster, 
which  nearly  cut  us  in  two." 

"Did  the  ship  sink?" 

"  She  did  almost  directly  afterward.  I  seized 
a  chicken  coop,  and  here  I  am." 

"A  monster  cut  you  in  two!"  exclaimed  the 
captain,  opening  his  eyes.  *'  WMt  sort  of  a  mon- 
ster?    Did  you  see  it?  " 


58  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

"  We  did  for  a  few  minutes.  It  was  black  and 
long,  like  a  gigantic  eel,  and  threw  out  phosphor- 
escent light." 

"  Then  there  was  something  electric  about  it?  " 
remarked  the  first  mate. 

"  Undoubtedly." 

"  That's  a  strange  yarn,"  observed  the  captain. 

He  took  Dr.  Homer  Woddle,  the  Secretary  of 
the  Society  for  the  Exploration  of  the  Unknown 
Parts  of  the  World,  into  his  cabin,  gave  him  dry 
clothes,  and  provided  him  with  the  best  dinner  the 
resources  of  the  ship  could  afford. 

Mont  had  listened  curiously  to  the  conversation 
between  Captain  Savage  and  the  newcomer. 

Taking  Carl's  arm,  he  said : 

"  That's  a  wonderful  yarn  of  that  fellow  who 
has  just  come  on  board." 

"  Very." 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  make  of  it,  exactly.  A 
fish  is  a  fish,  and  unless  it  has  a  big  horn,  it  can't 
sink  a  ship." 

"  Perhaps  he's  cracked." 

"  Not  he.  I  have  heard  of  him.  There  is 
something  in  it.     The  man  is  sane  enough.     He 


DOCTOR  HOMER    WODDLE.  59 

has  been  wrecked,  and  he  has  told  his  story  plainly 
enough,  only  I  don't  believe  in  the  strange 
animal." 

"What  is  it,  then?" 

"  That's  the  mystery.  There  can't  be  any  rocks 
in  the  middle  of  the  sea.     It  isn't  a  rock." 

"  Then  it  must  be  a  wonderful  fish." 

A  couple  of  hours  passed  when  Dr.  Woddle 
came  on  deck,  arm  in  arm  with  Captain  Savage. 

After  a  time  the  scientist  left  the  captain,  and 
met  Mont. 

"  Nice  weather,  my  lad,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Who  are  you  calling  '  my  lad '  ? "  asked 
Mont. 

"  You're  one  of  the  crew,  I  suppose,  and  you 
needn't  be  so  snappish." 

"  I'm  a  passenger,"  replied  Mont,  "  and  my 
name  is  Mont  Folsom.  Sorry  I  haven't  got  a 
card,  but  I  was  wrecked  yesterday,  and  that  will 
account  for  it.  I  and  my  companions  come  from 
Nautical  Hall." 

"  Indeed !  I  presume  you  were  picked  up  as  I 
was?  Did  you  meet  with  the  singular  animal 
that  destroyed  my  ship  ?  " 


60  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE  SEA. 

"  Can't  say  I  did.     What  was  he  like?  " 

"  A  huge,  long  thing,  covered  with  scales,  half 
in,  half  out  of  the  water." 

"  Are  we  likely  to  meet  with  him  again?  " 

"  I  should  think  so,"  answered  the  scientist. 
"Look  there!" 

"  Where?  "  exclaimed  Mont. 

"  To  the  right.  I  don't  understand  those  con- 
founded sea  terms,  and  I  don't  know  larboard 
from  starboard,  but  on  my  right  is  the  creature." 

"  The  dreaded  animal  ?  "  asked  Mont,  with  a 
laugh. 

"Yes.     Look!" 

Our  hero  followed  the  direction  of  the  out- 
stretched arm,  and  beheld  a  curious  sight. 

Not  far  from  the  ship  was  a  long,  black-looking 
thing,  lying  like  a  great  round  log  on  the  water. 

It  was  the  submarine  monster. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  SUBMARINE    TERROR. 

Captain  Savage  at  once  came  to  the  rail,  and 
was  soon  busily  engaged  in  looking  at  the  wonder- 
ful creature  which  Homer  Woddle  declared  had 
sunk  the  ship  in  which  he  had  been  sailing. 

The  crew  were  much  agitated,  for  seamen  are 
at  all  times  superstitious,  and,  never  having  heard 
of  such  a  strange  monster,  they  fancied  its  appear- 
ance boded  no  good. 

The  monster,  which  had  been  perfectly  inert  up 
to  this  time,  threw  out  a  marvelous  light,  which 
illuminated  the  depths  of  the  sea. 

The  magnificent  irradiation  was  evidently  the 
result  of  electricity,  and  it  revealed  the  shape  of 
the  strange  fish,  if  fish  it  was,  very  distinctly. 

Its  form  was  what  we  may  call  a  lengthened 
oval,  tapering  off  at  the  head  and  tail,  which  were 
under  the  water,  only  part  of  the  scaly  back  being 
exposed  to  the  air. 

61 


62  THE    WIZARD  OF  THE  SEA. 

Dr.  Woddle  called  the  captain. 

"  Sir,"  he  said,  "  the  monster  is  again  close  to 
us.  I  ask  you,  in  the  interest  of  science,  to  cap- 
ture it." 

"  Who's  going  to  do  it,  and  how  is  it  to  be 
done  ?  "  said  Captain  Savage. 

"  This  thing  is  a  scourge  of  the  ocean.  It  de- 
stroys ships,  therefore  it  is  your  duty  to  destroy 
it,"  persisted  the  man  of  science. 

"  We  will  harpoon  it,  if  you  like,  though  I  do 
not  know  why  I  should  risk  the  lives  of  my  crew. 
Where's  Bowline  ?  Pass  the  word  for  Bowline," 
said  the  captain. 

When  Bill  Bowline  made  his  appearance  he 
was  trembling  like  a  leaf. 

"  Get  your  harpoon,  my  man,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Not  me,  sir,"  said  the  sailor  firmly.  "  I 
wouldn't  harm  a  scale  of  the  critter's  back,  were  it 
ever  so  near.  We  shall  all  be  sent  to  the  bottom 
of  the  sea  if  I  do." 

Turning  to  Homer  Woddle,  the  captain  said : 

"  You  see  the  feeling  of  my  men;  what  can  I 
do?" 

"  I'll  do  it  myself,"  said  the  man  of  science 


THE   SUBMARINE    TERROR.  63 

grandly.  "If  no  one  will  attack  this  monster, 
the  honor  and  the  glory  of  the  task  shall  belong  to 
me.  Give  me  a  boat  and  loaded  guns.  It  will 
be  hard,  indeed,  if  I  cannot  put  a  bullet  in  him, 
and  lay  the  mighty  brute  low.  Who  will  volun- 
teer for  this  splendid  task?  " 

There  was  no  response. 

"  What !  Are  you  all  cowards  ?  Will  no  one 
volunteer?  "  continued  the  man  of  science  scorn- 
fully. 

Mont  stepped  forward. 

"  I'm  with  you,  sir !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Can't 
stand  by  and  see  a  gentleman  left  alone.  I'm 
not  afraid  of  the  creature." 

Carl,  as  a  matter  of  course,  took  his  place  by 
our  hero's  side,  and  so  did  Stump. 

Where  Mont  went  his  devoted  friend  and 
equally  attached  follower  felt  bound  to  go  as  a 
matter  of  duty. 

"  Three  of  you.  Bravo !  "  cried  the  scientist. 
"  Now,  we  are  four,  and  we  shall  triumph. 
Lower  a  boat,  if  you  please." 

The  order  was  given  to  put  the  ship  about,  and 
a  spot  favorable  for  the  enterprise  being  selected 


64  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

near  the  monster,  a  boat  was  lowered,  into  which 
the  volunteers  descended. 

Carl  and  Stump  took  the  oars,  Mont  grasped 
the  tiller,  and  Dr.  Woddle  stood  in  the  bows  with 
a  loaded  gun  under  each  arm. 

"  My  four  troublesome  customers,"  said  the 
captain,  in  a  low  tone  to  the  first  mate,  "  stand  a 
very  good  chance  of  never  returning." 

"  It  will  be  a  cheap  way  to  get  rid  of  them,  al- 
though it  may  cost  us  the  boat,"  said  the  mate  in 
the  same  tone. 

"  Steady,  my  lads,"  said  the  scientist.  "  Easy 
all;  keep  the  head  before  the  wind,  Mr.  Folsom,  if 
you  please." 

"  Steady  she  is,"  answered  Mont. 

The  boat  stopped  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
monster,  and  Homer  Woddle  stood  up,  placed  a 
gun  to  his  shoulder,  and  fired. 

The  ball  struck  the  huge  slumbering  beast,  but 
glided  off  its  back  as  if  it  had  struck  a  piece  of 
polished  steel. 

"  Hard  as  the  hide  of  a  rhinoceros,"  said  the 
man  of  science;  "  we  must  try  again,  Steady, 
boys," 


The  submarine  terror.  65 

The  monster,  however,  did  not  seem  to  approve 
of  being-  shot  at,  and  seemed  to  tremble  violently 
for  a  moment. 

Then  with  incredible  velocity  it  darted  past  the 
rowboat,  which  was  upset  in  a  moment,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  strike  the  ship. 

It  struck  the  unfortunate  vessel  a  terrific  blow 
directly  back  of  the  bow. 

The  crash  was  distinctly  audible,  and  amid  the 
noise  of  falling  masts  and  flapping  sails  were 
heard  the  cries  of  the  sailors  and  the  moans  of  the 
dying. 

After  the  concussion  the  monster  retired  as  it 
had  come. 

A  cloud  obscured  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  and 
it  was  difficult  to  tell  where  it  had  gone,  or  what 
had  become  of  the  ship. 

Mont  found  himself  struggling  in  the  sea,  and 
wondered  what  had  become  of  his  companions. 

"  Hang  those  monsters  of  the  deep,"  he  said  to 
himself;  "  I  don't  like  them." 

Swimming  gently,  he  got  hold  of  one  of  the 
oars  of  the  boat,  and  so  kept  himself  afloat  with- 
out much  exertion. 


66  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

It  was  not  a  hopeful  position  to  be  in. 

Struggling  alone  in  the  middle  of  a  vast  ocean, 
ignorant  of  the  fate  of  his  companions,  and  doubt- 
ful of  succor,  it  was  not  to  be  wondered  at  if  he 
felt  inclined  to  despair. 

Would  he  sink  or  swim?  The  question  wa6, 
jusf  then,  a  hard  one  to  answer. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

ON    THE    BACK    OF    THE    MONSTER. 

Mont  was  alone  on  the  ocean  with  nothing  but 
water  in  sight. 

Yet  his  heart  did  not  fail  him. 

"  Well,"  he  said  aloud,  "  I  like  adventures,  and 
now  I  have  met  with  a  beautiful  one.  Perhaps  I 
shall  be  picked  up.     Perhaps  not." 

Five  minutes  passed.  To  our  hero  they  seemed 
an  age. 

"Hullo!  Hi!  What  cheer?  Ship  ahoy!" 
he  cried. 

He  had  scarcely  closed  his  lips,  after  this  ap- 
peal for  help,  when  he  felt  his  arm  seized  vigor- 
ously. 

"  Who  are  you?  "  he  asked. 

"  If  you  will  lean  upon  my  shoulder,"  was  the 
reply,  "  you  will  soon  gain  strength  and  swim 
better." 

67 


68  THE    WIZARD  OF  THE  SEA. 

"  Is  it  you,  Stump  ?  "  said  Mont,  recognizing 
the  voice  of  his  faithful  friend. 

"  At  your  service,  Master  Mont.  I  have  been 
swimming  about  everywhere  looking  for  you  ever 
since  that  submarine  beast  swamped  us.  Ugh! 
What  a  terrible  brute  it  is !  It  laughs  at  bullets, 
and  cares  no  more  for  sinking  a  ship  than  I  should 
for  kicking  over  a  stool." 

"  Is  no  one  saved  ?  " 

"  I  can't  tell  any  more  than  you;  all  I  thought 
of  was  to  swim  after  you." 

The  situation  was  as  terrible  a  one  as  can  well 
be  imagined. 

Those  on  board  the  vessel  were  in  too  much 
trouble,  if  they  were  yet  living,  to  think  of  the 
perils  of  the  others  who  had  courted  destruction 
by  going  in  the  boat  to  attack  the  monster. 

Nor  would  Captain  Savage  feel  very  friendly 
disposed  toward  them,  because  it  was  Dr.  Wod- 
dle's  shot  that  caused  the  slumbering  creature  to 
rush  madly  upon  the  vessel. 

Mont  began  to  calculate  the  chances  of  safety. 
If  the  ship  had  not  foundered  the  crew  might 
lower  another  boat  in  the  morning  to  search  for 


ON   THE  BACK  OF   THE  MONSTER.  69 

them.  The  sun  would  not  rise  for  about  eight 
hours.  Could  they  exist  so  long  in  the  water 
without  fainting  or  becoming  cramped  by  the 
sluggish  circulation  of  the  blood? 

In  vain  he  tried  to  pierce  the  dense  darkness 
which  surrounded  them,  for  now  the  moon  had 
disappeared,  and  bad  weather  seemed  imminent 
again. 


"•to1 


About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  our  hero  was 
seized  with  extreme  fatigue;  his  limbs  were  a  prey 
to  an  agonizing  cramp. 

Stump  put  his  arm  around  him,  but  he  drew  his 
breath  with  difficulty,  and  evidently  required  all 
his  strength  for  himself. 

"  Let  me  go,  boy,"  said  Mont;  "  save  yourself." 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  Stump  quickly.  "  We're 
not  going  down  just  yet." 

At  that  moment  the  moon  appeared  again  from 
under  the  edge  of  a  thick  cloud  which  had  con- 
cealed it  for  a  time,  and  the  surface  of  the  sea 
sparkled  under  its  rays. 

This  fortunate  light  put  new  strength  into  the 
boys,  and  Mont  searched  the  horizon  with  eager, 
careful  gaze. 


7©  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

He  saw  the  ship,  or  what  appeared  to  be  her, 
about  two  miles  off,  looking  like  a  somber,  inert 
mass,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  a  boat. 

At  first  he  was  inclined  to  cry  for  help,  but  of 
what  use  would  it  have  been  at  that  distance? 

"Here,  this  way!  Hi!  help,  help!"  shouted 
Stump. 

Was  it  one  of  those  delusive  sounds  which  the 
anxious  mind  sometimes  conjures  up,  or  did  an 
answer  really  come  to  the  lad's  cry  for  help  ? 

"  Did  you  hear  anything?  "  asked  Mont. 

"  Yes,  I  thought  so,"  said  Stump,  and  he  began 
to  cry  out  again. 

"Help,  help!" 

This  time  there  was  no  mistake.  A  human 
voice  clearly  responded  through  the  darkness. 

Stump  lifted  himself  as  high  out  of  the  water 
as  he  could,  and  taking  a  look,  fell  back  exhausted, 
clinging  desperately  to  the  oar. 

"Did  you  see  anything?"  asked  Mont  anx- 
iously. 

"Yes;  don't  talk,  sir;  we  want  all  our 
strength." 

There  was  a  hopeful  ring  in  his  voice  which  in- 


ON   THE  BACK  OF   THE  MONSTER.  71 

spired  Mont,  who,  however,  fancied  he  heard  the 
boy  sigh  almost  directly  afterward. 

He  thought  of  the  monster.  Was  it  still  near 
them  ?     But,  if  so,  whence  came  the  voice  ? 

They  began  to  swim  with  all  the  strength  they 
had  left,  and  after  some  minutes  of  continued 
exertion,  for  moving  was  a  painful  task  in  their 
state,  Stump  spoke  again. 

"  Are  you  far  off?  "  he  said. 

"  Not  far — push  on,"  replied  the  voice,  which 
Mont  fancied  he  knew. 

Suddenly  an  outstretched  hand  seized  him;  he 
was  pulled  violently  out  of  the  water,  just  as  his 
senses  were  going,  and,  after  someone  had  rubbed 
his  hands  vigorously,  he  opened  his  eyes  and  mur- 
mured : 

"  Stump." 

"  Here,  sir,"  replied  the  lad. 

By  the  rays  of  the  moon  our  hero  saw  a  figure 
which  was  not  that  of  Stump,  but  which  he  recog- 
nized easily. 

"Dr.  Woddle?"hesaid. 

"  Right,  my  lad,"  answered  the  man  of  science. 

"Where  is  Carl?" 


72  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE  SEA. 

"  Here,"  answered  our  hero's  chum.  "  The 
doctor  and  I  stuck  together,  and  our  only  con- 
cern has  been  for  yon." 

"  Where  are  we?  "  asked  Mont  puzzled;  "  this 
thing  I  am  sitting  on  seems  firm  enough." 

"  It's  a  floating  island,"  answered  Woddle. 

A  horrible  thought  crossed  Mont's  mind  to 
which  he  could  not  give  expression. 

"  To  put  you  out  of  your  misery  at  once,"  con- 
tinued Dr.  Woddle,  "  we  are  on  the  back  of  the 
gigantic  creature  at  whom  I  shot,  and  I  know 
now  why  I  did  not  kill  him." 

"Why?" 

"  Because  he  is  ironclad,  or  something  very  like 
it.  I  can  make  no  impression  upon  the  scaly  mon- 
ster with  my  knife." 

These  words  produced  a  strange  feeling  in 
Mont's  mind.  He  found  that  he  was  really  with 
his  friends  on  the  back  of  the  monster,  which  con- 
tinued to  float  on  the  surface,  after  causing  the 
partial  destruction  of  the  ship. 

He  got  up  and  stamped  his  foot.  It  was  cer- 
tainly a  hard,  impenetrable  body,  and  not  the  soft 
substance  of  which  all  the  marine  inhabitants  that 


ON   THE  BACK  OF    THE  MONSTER.  73 

fie  had  heard  of  were  made,  such  as  whales, 
sharks,  walruses,  and  the  like.  If  anything,  it 
more  resembled  a  tortoise  or  an  alligator.  A  hol- 
low sound  was  emitted  when  it  was  struck,  and  it 
appeared  to  be  made  of  cast-iron  plates  secured 
together. 

"  What  is  your  opinion  of  the  creature,  sir  ?  " 
asked  Mont. 

"  You  want  my  candid  opinion  as  a  man  of 
science  ?  "  said  the  doctor. 

"  Certainly,  sir." 

"  I  should  say,  then,  that  this  peculiarly  con- 
structed monster  is  the  result  &f  human  hands  and 
ingenuity." 

"  In  that  case,  it  is  not  a  monster  at  all." 

"  By  no  means;  I  am  very  much  in  the  dark  at 
present,  but  I  am  positive  that  there  is  some  won- 
derful mystery  about  this  thing,  which  to  my 
mind  is  a  sort  of  submarine  ship,  ingeniously  con- 
structed to  sail  under  the  water  for  a  time,  and  to 
come  to  the  surface  for  a  supply  of  fresh  air  from 
time  to  time.  In  short,  an  electric  submarine 
boat." 


CHAPTER   XII. 

INSIDE    OF    THE    "  SEARCHER."" 

All  three  of  the  boys  were  greatly  astonished. 

"  It  beats  the  Dutch !  "  cried  Carl. 

"  If  that  is  so,"  said  Mont,  "  there  must  be  some 
internal  mechanism  to  make  it  work  about." 

"  Evidently." 

"  It  gives  no  sign  of  life." 

"  Not  at  present,"  answered  the  man  of  science. 
"  But  we  have  seen  it  move.  It  has  appeared  and 
disappeared.  Consequently,  it  must  have  hidden 
machinery." 

"  Of  course." 

"  So  that  we  come  to  the  conclusion,  which  is 
inevitable,  that  there  must  be  a  man  or  men  in- 
side to  direct  the  ship." 

"  Hurrah!  "  cried  our  hero;  "  I  didn't  think  of 
that.  We  are  saved  if  that  is  so,  and  it  must  be  as 
you  say." 

"Hum!"   muttered  the  professor;   "I   don't 

74 


INSIDE   OF   THE   "  SEARCHER"  75 

know  so  much  about  that.  If,  when  it  makes  a 
start,  it  glides  along  the  surface  of  the  water,  we 
are  all  right;  but  if  it  goes  down,  we  are  lost." 

"  I've  got  an  idea,"  said  Mont,  after  a  pause. 
"  We  must  knock  at  the  door,  and  see  if  we  can 
find  anyone  at  home." 

His  companions  laughed. 

"  I  have  searched  carefully,"  said  Carl,  "  but  I 
can't  find  even  a  manhole." 

There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  wait  until 
morning. 

Mont  wanted  to  keep  his  feet  warm,  so  he 
amused  himself  by  kicking  his  heels  upon  the 
body  beneath  him. 

"I'll  wake  'em  up,"  he  said.  "They  shan't 
sleep  if  they  won't  let  me  in." 

Their  safety  depended  absolutely  upon  the  ca- 
price of  the  mysterious  steersman  who  inhabited 
the  ironclad,  fish-shaped  machine. 

It  seemed  to  the  professor  that  before  those  in- 
side descended  again  they  would  have  to  open 
some  hole  to  obtain  air. 

All  were  now  very  tired,  wet,  and  hungry,  and 
soon  a  raging  thirst  began  to  attack  them. 


76  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

Our  hero  fancied  he  heard  vague  sounds  be- 
neath him,  but  could  not  be  sure. 

Who  were  the  strange  beings  that  lived  in  the 
floating  iron  shell? 

Kicking  angrily  upon  the  iron  surface,  Mont 
said: 

"  You  are  very  inhospitable  inside.  I  am  hun- 
gry and  thirsty.  Do  you  want  me  to  die  up 
here?" 

He  had  no  sooner  spoken  than  a  flap  beside  him 
opened  and  a  railing  came  up  as  if  by  magic. 

Half  the  body  of  a  strong,  wiry,  thick-bearded 
man  appeared.     He  held  a  curious  wire  net. 

The  net  fell  over  Mont's  head,  and  he  felt  him- 
self dragged  over  the  railing  and  down  into  the 
interior  of  the  iron  shell. 

A  cry  of  terror  broke  from  his  companions,  an- 
swered by  a  smothered  yell  from  Mont,  as  the 
flap  fell  back  and  shut  out  any  further  view  of 
the  interior. 

Our  hero  had  vanished. 

This  removal,  so  brutally  executed,  was  accom- 
plished with  the  rapidity  of  lightning. 

Dr.  Woddle  felt  his  hair  stand  on  end,  and  as 


INSIDE   OF    THE   ''SEARCHER."  77 

for  Carl  and  Stump  they  were  chilled  to  the  mar- 
row of  their  bones  with  fear. 

"  What  have  they  done  with  him?  "  Carl  asked. 

"  Your  friend  is  the  first  victim,"  replied  the 
professor.  "  Perhaps  they  mean  to  eat  him. 
For  my  part,  they  may  eat  me  as  soon  as  they  like ; 
anything  is  preferable  to  this." 

"  I  wish  I  could  get  at  them,"  replied  Stump. 
"  I'd  soon  have  Master  Mont  out." 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when 
the  trap  door  opened  again,  and  the  servant  was 
dragged  down  below  in  a  similar  manner. 

"  Really  this  is  very  extraordinary,"  said  the 
professor;  "  two  of  us  are  gone.  We  are  no  doubt 
in  the  hands  of  pirates,  wretched  rovers  of  the  sea, 
who  have  brought  science  to  their  aid.  It  is  to 
be  hoped " 

The  door  opened  while  he  was  speaking  and  a 
long  arm  twining  round  his  waist  dragged  him 
too  into  the  heart  of  this  floating  prison. 

His  legs  kicking  up  ludicrously  in  the  air  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  Carl,  who  could  not  re- 
frain from  laughing,  miserable  though  he  was. 

"  My  turn  next,"  muttered  the  youth. 


78  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

He  was  not  long  kept  in  suspense. 

The  long  net  twined,  snakelike,  round  him,  and 
he  too  descended  into  the  bowels  of  the  infernal 
machine. 

Mont's  experience  was  that  of  all  of  them. 

He  had  descended  an  iron  ladder  and  was 
pushed  into  a  room,  the  door  of  which  shut  to 
with  a  heavy  bang. 

In  ten  minutes  they  were  all  together  in  the 
same  compartment. 

The  darkness  of  their  prison  was  so  intense  as 
to  prevent  our  hero  seeing  his  hand  before  his 
face. 

Thus  it  was  impossible  to  guess  where  they 
were,  or  even  to  tell  if  they  were  alone  or  not. 

"  This  is  an  outrage,"  said  the  doctor.  "  I 
protest  against  it.  Is  the  author  of  a  dozen 
immortal  works  to  be  treated  like  a  naughty 
schoolboy?  " 

"  We're  prisoners,"  remarked  Mont,  "  and  it's 
no  use  hallooing.  They're  not  going  to  eat  us. 
This  isn't  an  oven,  and  I  think  we  are  better  here 
than  up  above." 

"  At  least  we  had  our  liberty,"  continued  the 


INSIDE  OF   THE   "  SEARCHER."  79 

doctor,  who  was  never  satisfied  or  happy  unless 
he  was  at  work  or  grumbling. 

"  I've  got  a  knife,"  said  Stump  boldly,  "  and  I'll 
stick  the  first  that  comes  near  me.  It's  a  regular 
pig-sticker,  my  knife,  and  I'll  bet  they  feel  it." 

"Don't  you  do  anything  of  the  sort!"  cried 
Mont.     "  You  might  get  us  all  killed." 

"  It's  very  hard  if  a  poor  boy  can't  do  some- 
thing." 

"  You'll  get  it  hot  if  anyone  is  listening  to  you. 
If  you  don't  care  for  yourself,  think  of  us." 

Stump  grumbled  inaudibly,  and  Mont  began  to 
take  the  dimensions  of  the  prison  in  which  they 
were. 

This  he  did  by  walking  about,  and  he  made  it 
twenty  feet  long  by  ten  wide.  The  walls  were  of 
iron,  made  of  plates  riveted  together. 

Half  an  hour  passed.  At  the  expiration  of  that 
time,  the  cabin  was  illuminated  by  a  flood  of  light 
so  vivid  and  blinding  that  it  was  difficult  to  bear 
the  intensity. 

Mont  recognized  the  electric  light  that  had 
floated  round  the  ship  when  he  first  saw  it. 

When  he  got  used  to  its  clear  whiteness,  he 


80  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

looked  up  and  saw  that  it  proceeded  from  a  globe 
which  hung  from  the  ceiling. 

"  Light  at  last;  our  captors  are  becoming  more 
civil,"  said  the  doctor,  rubbing  his  hands  gayly. 

"  It's  about  time,  I  think,"  answered  our  hero. 

They  were  not  much  better  off,  however,  for 
the  cabin  only  contained  a  table  and  five  wooden 
stools,  but  the  light  was  refreshing  and  made  them 
more  cheerful. 

Not  a  sound  reached  their  ears;  everywhere 
reigned  the  silence  of  the  grave. 

Perhaps  the  ship  had  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean,  for  it  seemed  to  have  the  power  of  going 
where  its  strange  owner  wished. 

In  a  short  time  the  door  opened  and  two  men 
appeared. 

"  Visitors  at  last !  "  murmured  Mont  to  himself. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE   OWNER    OF    THE    SUBMARINE    MONSTER. 

Of  the  two  who  had  entered  one  was  a  negro, 
with  intelligent  but  flat  face,  and  short,  woolly 
hair. 

The  other  was  a  tall,  handsome  white  man,  with 
keen,  searching  eyes  that  looked  into  the  very  soul. 

He  wore  a  thick  mustache,  whiskers,  and  beard, 
and  appeared  to  be  an  American. 

He  regarded  the  prisoners  with  a  fixed  gaze  and 
said  something  to  the  negro  in  an  unknown  lan- 
guage, which  was  so  sweet  and  soft  that  it  seemed 
to  be  all  vowels  and  no  consonants. 

At  length  he  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  doctor, 
who,  as  the  eldest  of  the  party,  seemed  to  be  the 
leader  of  it.     The  professor  made  a  low  bow. 

"  I  presume,"  he  said,  "  that  I  am  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  proprietor  of  this  singular  machine, 
and  as  I  am  a  man  of  science  I  respect  one  who 

81 


82  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

could  conceive  and  carry  out  the  idea  of  a  sub- 
marine ship." 

There  was  no  answer. 

"  Permit  me  to  tell  you  our  history,"  continued 
the  professor. 

Still  no  reply. 

"  He's  remarkably  polite,"  remarked  Mont. 
"  Perhaps  he  don't  understand  our  language." 

"  Leave  him  to  me,"  said  the  professor;  "  my 
name  may  have  an  effect  upon  him.  I  am  Dr. 
Homer  Woddle,  Professor  of  Natural  History, 
and  Secretary  to  the  Society  for  the  Exploration 
of  the  Unknown  Parts  of  the  World.  I  have 
written  valuable  books,  sir,  which  have  been  trans- 
lated into  foreign  languages." 

The  professor  paused  to  look  proudly  around 
him. 

Nothing  in  the  face  of  the  man  before  them 
indicated  that  he  understood  one  word. 

Undaunted  by  this  silence,  the  doctor  con- 
tinued : 

"  This,  sir,  is  my  friend  Mr.  Mont  Folsom, 
this  my  friend  Mr.  Carl  Barnaby.  The  lad  is 
their  servant." 


OWNER  OF  THE  SUBMARINE  MONSTER.        83 

There  was  still  no  answer,  and  then  the  pro- 
fessor grew  cross. 

He  spoke  in  French,  then  in  German,  finally  in 
Greek  and  Latin;  but  with  the  same  disheartening 
effect. 

Not  a  muscle  of  the  stranger's  face  moved. 

Turning  to  the  right,  he  muttered  some  words 
in  his  incomprehensible  language,  and,  without 
making  any  reassuring  sign  to  the  prisoners, 
turned  on  his  heel  and  walked  away,  the  door 
closing  after  him. 

"  Well,  I'm  blowed!  "  said  Mont.  "  This  is  a 
queer  go,  and  no  mistake." 

"  I  know  one  thing,"  said  Carl;  "  that  is,  I  am 
dying  with  hunger." 

"  If  they  would  only  give  me  a  saucepan 
and  some  fire,"  said  Stump,  "  I'd  make  some 
soup." 

"How?" 

"  I've  got  my  boots,  and  the  Unknown  who 
came  in  let  his  sealskin  cap  fall.  I  picked  it  up 
and  sneaked  it.  The  two  together  wouldn't  make 
bad  soup." 

While  he  spoke  the  door  opened  again,  and  an- 


84  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

other  negro  entered  with  a  tray  upon  which  were 
four  plates. 

A  savory  smell  issued  from  them.  Knives  and 
forks  were  provided,  and  having  placed  the  plates 
on  the  table  the  negro  raised  the  covers. 

"  Food!  "  said  Mont;  "  that's  good." 

"  Not  up  to  much,  Master  Mont,  I'll  bet,"  ob- 
served Stump. 

"  What  do  you  know  about  it?  " 

"What  can  they  give  us?  Porpoise  stew, 
fillets  of  dogfish,  or  stewed  shark.  I'd  rather  have 
some  salt  junk  on  board  the  ship." 

The  negro  disappeared  with  the  covers,  and  all 
but  Stump  sat  down. 

"  Fire  away,  Stump,"  said  Mont,  looking  at  the 
dishes. 

"  After  you;  I  can  wait,"  replied  the  boy-of -all- 
work. 

"  Sit  down,  I  tell  you.  When  people  are  ship- 
wrecked they  are  all  equal.  Pitch  in,"  answered 
Mont. 

Stump  sat  down.  There  was  no  bread,  tea,  or 
coffee,  but  a  bottle  of  water  supplied  its  place. 

It  was  difficult  to  say  what  the  dinner  consisted 


OWNER  OF  THE  SUBMARINE  MONSTER.        85 

of.  It  was  a  mixture  of  fish  and  vegetable  mat- 
ter, but  not  an  atom  of  meat. 

For  some  time  no  one  spoke.  The  business  of 
eating  was  all-absorbing,  for  one  must  eat,  espe- 
cially after  a  shipwreck. 

It  was  consoling  to  reflect  they  were  not  des- 
tined to  die  of  hunger. 

"  I  think,"  exclaimed  Stump,  when  he  had  fin- 
ished his  plate,  "  that  they  mean  to  fatten  us  be- 
fore they  kill  us !  " 

"  Hold  your  tongue  till  you  are  spoken  to,"  said 
Mont. 

"  Yes,  sir.  I  know  I'm  only  an  odd  boy, 
but " 

"  Shut  up,  I  tell  you.     I  want  to  go  to  sleep." 

"  Certainly,  sir.  Sorry  I  took  the  liberty,  but 
if  I  don't  talk  to  somebody  I  must  talk  to  myself." 

"  Try  it  on,  that's  all,  and  if  you  wake  me  when 
I'm  asleep,  I'll  give  you  something  for  yourself. 
I'm  just  getting  dry,  and  shall  sleep  like  a  top," 
answered  our  hero,  throwing  himself  in  a  corner. 

The  professor,  who  was  worn  out,  had  already 
chosen  his  corner. 

Carl  followed  his  example,  and  soon  all  slept. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   ATTACK. 

How  long  he  slept  Mont  did  not  know. 

He  woke  first,  and  saw  his  companions  snoring 
like  those  who  are  over-tired. 

Nothing  was  changed  in  the  apartment,  ex- 
cept that  the  remains  of  the  dinner  had  been 
removed. 

It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  managed  to 
breathe,  and  he  guessed  that  he  had  consumed  all 
the  oxygen  in  his  prison.  His  lungs  were  op- 
pressed, and  the  heavy  air  was  not  sufficient  for 
proper  respiration. 

While  Mont  was  arranging  his  toilet  a  valve 
opened  in  the  side  of  the  room,  and  a  fresh  cur- 
rent of  sea  air  swept  into  the  cabin. 

Evidently  the  vessel  had  ascended  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  ocean  and  taken  in  a  fresh  supply  of 
air. 

86 


THE  ATTACK.  87 

The  others,  influenced  by  this  invigorating  at- 
mosphere, woke  up,  and  rubbing  their  eyes  started 
to  their  feet. 

Stump  looked  at  Mont  and  asked  if  he  had  slept 
well. 

"  Pretty  well.     How  are  you,  Mr.  Professor  ?  " 

"  I  breathe  the  sea  air,  and  I  am  content,"  an- 
swered Dr.  Woddle.  "  How  long  have  we  slept? 
It  must  be  four-and-twenty  hours,  at  least,  for  I 
am  hungry  again;  I  cannot  tell  to  a  certainty,  for 
my  watch  has  stopped." 

"  There  is  one  comfort,"  replied  Mont,  "  we  are 
not  in  the  hands  of  cannibals,  and  we  shall  be  well 
treated." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Stump. 
"They've  got  no  fresh  meat  on  board;  all  they 
gave  us  yesterday  was  fishy  stuff;  and  four  fine, 
fat,  healthy  fellows " 

"  Shut  up,  Stump,"  cried  Mont;  "  how  often 
am  I  to  tell  you  to  hold  your  tongue?  " 

"  I  know  I'm  only  an  odd  boy,  but " 

"  Will  you  be  quiet  ?  "  exclaimed  our  hero,  tak- 
ing up  a  stool  threateningly. 

"  All  right;  I  won't  say  anything  more." 


88  THE    WIZARD  OF  THE  SEA. 

The  doctor  was  very  silent  and  thoughtful. 
Mont  remarked  this,  and  said : 

"  How  long  do  you  think  they  will  keep  us 
here?" 

"  I  can't  tell  any  more  than  you,  Folsom,"  re- 
plied the  professor. 

"  But  what  is  your  opinion  ?  " 

"  Not  a  very  encouraging  one.  We  have  by 
chance  become  possessed  of  an  important  secret. 
If  the  secret  is  worth  more  than  our  lives,  we  shall 
either  be  killed  or  kept  prisoners." 

"Forever?" 

"  Yes,  forever,"  answered  the  professor 
gravely.  "If  the  secret  is  not  very  serious,  we 
may  be  landed  on  some  island.  I  advise  that  we 
remain  perfectly  quiet  and  take  things  as  they 
come." 

"  May  I  say  a  word  ?  "  exclaimed  Stump. 

"Well?"  asked  Mont. 

"  I'll  get  out  of  this." 

"  How  ?  It  is  difficult  to  break  out  of  a  prison 
on  earth,  but  to  get  out  of  one  under  the  sea  is 
impossible." 

"  Suppose  we  kill  our  jailers  and  take  the  key? 


THE  ATTACK.  89 

If  four  Americans  aren't  a  match  for  a  lot  of 
niggers,  and  one  Unknown  who  can't  speak 
any  language,  and  doesn't  belong  to  any  coun- 
try at  all,  it's  time  we  shut  up  shop !  "  went  on 
Stump. 

At  that  moment  the  door  opened,  and  the  negro 
who  had  before  appeared  entered. 

Stump  instantly  threw  himself  upon  him,  and, 
seizing  his  throat  with  his  two  hands,  held  him 
so  tightly  as  almost  to  strangle  him. 

But  being  a  powerful  man,  he  soon  disengaged 
himself,  and  a  fearful  struggle  ensued  between 
them. 

"  Help,  help !  "  cried  the  negro,  in  excellent 
English. 

Stump  let  go  his  hold  at  this,  and  fell  back 
laughing. 

"  So  you  can  talk  English !  "  he  cried;  "  that's 
all  right.  I  only  flew  at  you  to  see  what  country- 
man you  were.  Now,  then,  tell  us  all  about  this 
ship,  or  I'll  give  you  another  dose." 

Putting  his  finger  to  his  lips,  the  negro  gave  a 
peculiar  whistle — prolonged  and  shrill. 

This  was  evidently  a  signal,  for  he  had  scarcely 


9©  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

finished  when  the  Unknown  appeared  on  the 
threshold. 

He  was  followed  by  six  powerful  negroes,  all 
armed  to  the  teeth. 

It  looked  as  if  Mont  and  his  friends  were  to  be 
executed  on  the  spot. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PRISONERS. 

For  several  minutes  the  master  of  the  sub- 
marine monster  gazed  in  silence  at  those  in  the 
iron-bound  cabin. 

Stump  stood  shivering  in  a  corner. 

"Please  don't  kill  us!"  he  cried.  "  I— I— 
didn't  mean  any  harm." 

The  strange  owner  of  the  still  stranger  craft 
looked  at  Stump  for  a  moment,  and  then  smiled 
faintly. 

"  Depart !  "  he  cried  to  the  negroes,  and  on  the 
instant  every  one  of  the  heavily  armed  men  van- 
ished. 

Sitting  down  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  with  his 
arms  crossed  on  his  powerful  chest,  this  strange 
being  seemed  plunged  in  deep  thought. 

Our  heroes  regarded  him  with  expectation,  not 
unmixed  with  awe,  for  they  were  entirely  in  his 
power. 

9* 


9*  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

Was  he  about  to  punish  them  for  the  indis- 
cretion of  one  of  their  number  ? 

At  length  he  spoke  in  English. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  you  see  I  can  speak 
your  language.  I  did  not  answer  you  at  first,  be- 
cause I  was  undecided  what  to  do  with  you.  I  am 
well  acquainted  with  the  scientific  works  written 
by  Dr.  Woddle,  and  I  esteem  it  an  honor  to  have 
made  his  acquaintance." 

The  professor  bowed  his  acknowledgment  of 
this  compliment. 

"  I  am  also  glad  to  see  two  intelligent  young 
gentlemen  like  Mr.  Folsom  and  Mr.  Barnaby." 

"  You've  forgotten  me,  sir,"  said  Stump. 
"  I'm  only  an  odd  boy,  but " 

The  captain  extended  his  arm,  and  the  hired 
boy  was  silent. 

"  I'm  a  man,"  he  continued,  "  who  has  broken 
with  society  and  renounced  the  world.  Had  you 
not  molested  me  and  fired  at  my  vessel,  I  should 
not  have  crippled  your  ship  and  upset  your  boat. 
The  attack  came  from  your  side." 

"  But,  sir,"  answered  the  professor,  "  we  took 
your  ship  to  be  some  unknown  creature." 


PRISONERS.  9$ 

"  Possibly,  but  this  creature  had  done  you  no 
harm.  I  saw  you  all  take  refuge  outside,  and  I 
hesitated  a  long  while  what  to  do  with  you.  I 
knew  nothing  of  you.  What  were  you  to  me? 
Why  should  I  extend  my  hospitality  to  you  ?  All 
that  was  necessary  to  break  off  your  connection, 
was  to  give  a  signal  to  my  engineers,  and  the 
Searcher,  which  is  the  name  of  my  vessel,  would 
have  sunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  I  had  the 
right  to  do  it." 

His  hearers  shuddered  at  this  avowal. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  we  are  to  be  prisoners?  " 
observed  the  professor. 

"  Certainly." 

"  But  this  is  an  outrage !  "  exclaimed  Mont. 
"  I  demand  to  be  put  on  shore  at  the  nearest  port, 
or  given  up  to  the  nearest  ship  we  meet." 

"  You  will  none  of  you  ever  see  the  earth  again, 
or  set  foot  upon  it,"  replied  the  captain  with  much 
emphasis. 

"  This  floating  prison  is,  then,  our  tomb — our 
coffin,  in  which  we  must  live  and  die  ?  " 

"  Call  it  what  you  will,"  replied  the  captain. 
"  You  have  obtained  the  secret  of  my  existence. 


94  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

Do  you  think  I  could  ever  allow  you  to  revisit  the 
world,  to  let  it  be  known  through  every  news- 
paper how  I  pass  my  life  ?  " 

"  How  are  we  to  address  you,  sir?  " 

"  My  name  is  Vindex.  By  my  men  I  am  called 
the  Wizard  of  the  Sea." 

"  Very  well,  Captain  Vindex  of  the  Searcher," 
said  Mont,  "  we  must  make  the  best  of  our  situa- 
tion, but  I  will  never  give  my  word  that  I  will  not 
attempt  to  escape." 

"  I  like  you,  boy,  for  your  honesty,"  said  the 
Wizard  of  the  Sea,  "  though  I  warn  you  that  if 
you  are  caught  in  the  attempt,  you  will  be  in- 
stantly put  to  death." 

"  To  death  ?     You  dare  not !  " 

The  captain  laughed  in  a  wild,  weird  manner. 

"  Dare  not !  "  he  said.  "  Foolish  lad,  there  are 
no  laws  for  me.  I  am  the  sole  master  here.  My 
black  slaves  only  live  to  do  my  bidding.  What  is 
your  life  or  death  to  me  ?  I  have  no  more  to  say 
at  present.  Follow  this  negro  into  another  cabin, 
where  a  repast  awaits  you." 

He  called  to  someone  outside,  and,  bowing 
politely,  went  away,  while  the  four  companions 


PRISONERS.  95 

were  conducted  to  a  dining-  room  handsomely  fur- 
nished and  lighted  by  an  electric  lamp. 

Various  preparations  invited  their  attention. 
The  dinner  service  was  of  silver,  and  everything 
denoted  immense  wealth  on  the  part  of  the  owner. 

The  negro  waited  upon  them  attentively. 

"  What's  your  name?  "  asked  Mont. 

"  Me  name  One,  massa." 

"One!" 

"  Yes,  massa.  There  twelve  slaves  on  board 
this  ship,  and  all  have  figure  names,  me  One, 
other  nigger  Two,  other  Three,  Four,  Five,  Six, 
Seven,  Eight,  and  so  on  up  to  Twelve." 

"  That's  a  queer  idea,"  said  our  hero;  "  fancy 
calling  out  for  your  servant,  and  saying,  '  Here, 
Nine,  I  want  you,'  or  '  I  say,  Three,  do  this ' ! " 

"It  is  my  opinion,"  exclaimed  the  professor, 
"  that  Captain  Vindex  is  a  very  remarkable  man 
— the  most  remarkable,  in  fact,  that  ever  lived. 
He  has  invented  a  singular  ship  which  can  go 
under  the  sea  at  will,  but  why  not  ?  Was  not  the 
invention  of  steam  engines  laughed  at,  as  well  as 
the  invention  of  gas  ?  Who,  a  hundred  years  ago, 
would  have  believed  in  the  electric  telegraph,  by 


96  THE    WIZARD  OF  THE   SEA. 

means  of  which  we  send  a  message  to  the  end  of 
the  earth  in  a  minute?  " 

"  Very  true,"  replied  Mont.  "  And  don't  for- 
get the  telephone,  and  the  submarine  boat  the  gov- 
ernment is  trying  to  build.  It's  a  pity  a  man  of 
such  genius  should  shut  himself  up  like  this, 
though." 

"  It  is  a  pity,"  answered  the  professor. 

"  What's  worse,  though,"  remarked  Carl,  "  is 
that  he  means  to  keep  us  as  prisoners." 

"  If  he  can,"  said  Stump. 

"  Don't  you  be  so  fast,  Stump,  my  boy,"  said 
Mont.  "  Keep  your  mouth  shut,  or  you  may  get 
into  trouble." 

"  Very  sorry,  but  I  don't  like  such  goings-on, 
and  wish  I  was  back  again  on  the  shore." 

The  negro  handed  the  professor  a  fresh  dish. 

"  Will  massa  have  some  oysters  stewed  in 
whale's  milk?"  he  asked;  "or  some  jam  made 
of  sea  anemones  ?  " 

"  I'd  rather  you'd  not  tell  me  what  the  dishes 
are;  it  will  set  me  against  them  if  you  do," 
answered  the  professor  with  a  wry  face. 

When  the  repast  was  ended,  Mont  jumped 


PRISONERS.  97 

up.     "  I  feel  better,"  he  said.     "  Mister  Number 
One." 

"  Massa  call  me  ?  "  asked  the  black,  who  was 
clearing  away. 

"  Yes.    Where  are  we  now  ?  " 

"  We  gone  down,  massa,  and  now  we  lie  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea." 

Mont  regarded  him  with  undisguised  astonish- 
ment. 

The  Searcher  was  indeed  a  wonderful  craft. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    MYSTERIES    OF    THE    "  SEARCHER/' 

Many  days  passed. 

The  life  of  the  captives  were  unvaried  by  any 
incident.  They  saw  nothing  of  Captain  Vindex; 
were  well  attended  to,  slept  comfortably,  and  had 
nothing  to  complain  of  but  their  imprisonment. 

Books  were  freely  supplied  them,  but  they  were 
not  allowed  to  leave  their  cabins. 

At  the  expiration  of  a  fortnight  or  thereabouts, 
as  well  as  they  could  reckon,  negro  Number  One 
entered  their  cabin  after  breakfast. 

Addressing  Mont,  the  negro  observed : 

"  Massa  Folsom  to  come  to  cappen's  cabin." 

"Does  he  want  me?"  inquired  Mont.  "All 
right.  Good-by,  my  friends,"  he  added,  "  perhaps 
you  will  never  see  me  again.  I  may  be  the  first 
victim." 

"  No  fear!  "  exclaimed  Carl.     "  We  shan't  be 

hurt  if  we  keep  quiet." 

98 


THE  MYSTERIES  OF   THE   "SEARCHER.'        99 

"  I'll  suggest  that  you're  the  fattest,  Carl,  if 
there  is  any  question  of  cooking  one  of  us." 

"  Then  it  won't  be  true,  for  you're  as  fat  as  a 
mole.  Go  on  and  be  cooked  first !  I'll  have  a  bit 
of  you,"  answered  Barnaby.  • 

Mont  went  away  laughing.  He  was  not  really 
alarmed,  for  although  he  did  not  like  Captain  Vin- 
dex,  he  fancied  he  was  safe  as  long  as  he  did  not 
irritate  this  strange  being. 

The  negro  conducted  him  along  a  passage 
which  opened  into  a  magnificent  library,  full  of 
books,  which  gave  admittance  to  a  drawing  room 
furnished  with  all  the  taste  that  could  be  found  in 
Paris  or  New  York. 

The  space  within  the  ironclad  shell  had  been 
made  the  most  of,  and  no  expense  had  been  spared 
to  make  the  cabin  luxurious  and  well  appointed. 

The  walls  were  richly  papered  and  covered  with 
valuable  paintings.  The  ceiling  was  frescoed,  and 
works  of  art  were  everywhere  to  be  seen.  Rich 
couches  and  chairs  invited  rest,  and  the  foot  sank 
in  the  soft  pile  of  a  Turkey  carpet. 

Captain  Vindex  arose  as  our  hero  entered. 

"  Take  a  seat,"  he  said,  as  the  negro  retired, 


ioo  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

closing  the  door  after  him.  "  I  have  taken  an  in- 
terest in  you,  Folsom." 

"  Thank  you,"  answered  Mont  coldly. 

The  captain  smiled,  approached  the  end  of  the 
room,  and,  drawing-  back  a  curtain,  revealed  a 
splendid  organ. 

"  Do  you  like  music  ?  ''  he  asked. 

"  Very  much,"  answered  Mont.  "  Play  us 
something.  It  will  enliven  me  a  bit.  I  feel 
awfully  low,  and  I'll  give  you  a  game  at  dominoes 
or  checkers  afterwards,  if  you  like." 

Captain  Vindex  smiled,  and,  sitting  down, 
played  Sousa's  "  Liberty  Bell  March  "  with  great 
skill. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Mont,  when  he  had  finished. 
"  Very  fine.  Now  will  you  tell  me  how  you  man- 
age for  air?  " 

"  I  will  not  trouble  you  with  chemical  details," 
answered  the  captain,  "  which  you  would  not 
understand,  but  when  I  do  not  take  in  air  at  the 
surface,  I  have  some  compressed  in  the  reservoir, 
which,  by  means  of  an  apparatus,  is  wafted  all 
over  the  ship." 

"  And  about  light  and  moving  about  ?  " 


THE  MYSTERIES   OF    THE    "SEARCHER."      IOI 

"  That  is  the  result  of  electricity,  which  I  make 
myself.  My  motive  power  is  electricity,  and  I  can 
attain  a  speed  of  thirty  miles  an  hour.  The  men 
of  the  world  have  not  yet  discovered  half  the  value 
of  electricity.  My  machinery  is  of  the  finest  kind. 
If  I  want  to  sink  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  I  fill 
certain  reservoirs  I  have  with  water ;  when  I  want 
to  rise,  I  lighten  the  ship  by  letting  out  the  water. 
In  short,  I  have  invented  everything  that  is  neces- 
sary for  my  safety  and  comfort." 

"  Wonderful !  "  ejaculated  Mont. 

"  Your  friend,  the  professor,  would  understand 
me,  if  I  were  to  explain  to  him  how  everything 
were  managed,  but  to  you  it  all  seems  as  strange 
as  the  first  railway  train  did  to  the  country  people 
through  whose  districts  it  passed.  Engineering 
science  is  yet  in  its  infancy.  The  world  has  great 
discoveries  to  make.  You  are  at  present  only  on 
the  threshold  of  the  great  unknown." 

"  You  work  your  ship  with  a  screw,  I  sup- 
pose? " 

"  Exactly.  The  helmsman  sits  in  a  cabin  with 
a  glass  front,  and  the  electric  light  illumines  the 
sea  for  some  distance,  so  that  all  is  clear  to  him." 


102  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

"  Where  did  you  build  this  extraordinary  ves- 
sel ?  "  continued  our  hero. 

"  On  a  desert  island  in  the  Pacific.  I  had  the 
various  parts  brought  in  a  vessel  that  belonged  to 
me  from  various  parts  of  the  world,  and  the 
twelve  negroes  who  are  now  with  me  were  my 
only  workmen." 

"You  are  rich,  then?" 

"  Money  was  never  any  object  to  me,"  replied 
the  captain.  "  If  I  wanted  gold  even  now,  could 
I  not  obtain  millions  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea 
out  of  ships  that  have  sunk?  And  some  day  I 
shall  find  the  great  million-dollar  pearl  for  which 
I  am  searching.  The  treasures  of  the  deep  are 
mine;  I  am  the  Wizard  of  the  Sea." 

He  spoke  proudly,  and  his  eyes  dilated  with 
rapture. 

"You  like  the  sea?" 

"  I  love  it.  I  revel  in  it.  Look  at  the  solitude 
and  freedom  I  enjoy!  What  life  can  be  compar- 
able to  mine  ?  " 

"  But  you  must  feel  weary  at  times,"  said  Mont. 

"  Never.  I  read,  I  think,  and,  when  I  want 
diversion,  I  shoot." 


THE  MYSTERIES  OF  THE  "  SEARCHER."     103 

"Where?" 

"  In  the  submarine  forests.  I  have  invented  a 
square  case  to  strap  on  the  back,  which  is  attached 
to  a  mask  covering  the  head,  and  this  will  contain 
enough  compressed  air  to  last  for  several  hours' 
consumption,  so  that  I  can  walk  under  the  waves 
with  ease  and  comfort." 

"  And  your  guns  ?  " 

"  Are  air  guns,  also  my  own  invention.  I  have 
several,  and  each  is  prepared  to  fire  twenty  shots 
by  a  mere  movement  of  the  trigger,  the  requisite 
force  of  air  being  placed  in  a  hollow  of  the  butt 
end;  but  all  these  mysteries  will  become  plain  to 
you  before  you  have  been  long  with  me,"  an- 
swered Captain  Vindex. 

"  What  time  is  it?  "  asked  Mont. 

Looking  at  his  watch,  the  captain  answered : 

"  A  quarter  to  twelve,  or  near  midday." 

"  If  you  want  to  give  me  a  treat,"  said  Mont, 
"  I  wish  you  would  go  up  to  the  surface  and  let  me 
have  a  look  at  the  sea,  and  breath  the  fresh  air." 

"  Certainly.  Come  with  me  to  the  engine 
room." 

Mont  rose,  and  followed  his  conductor  through 


104  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

several  iron  passages  to  the  place  where  the 
machinery  was  fitted  up. 

A  negro  saluted  the  captain. 

"  Number  Twelve,"  exclaimed  the  latter,  "  I 
wish  to  ascend." 

The  engineer  touched  a  valve,  and  a  rush  of 
water  escaping  was  heard. 

The  pumps  were  forcing  out  the  water  from  the 
reservoirs. 

The  Searcher  began  to  ascend.  After  a  time 
she  stopped  suddenly. 

"  We  have  arrived,"  said  the  captain. 

He  led  the  way  up  a  central  spiral  staircase, 
and,  raising  a  small  door,  they  emerged  upon  what 
may  be  called  the  deck,  or  what  our  hero  and  his 
companions  had  taken  to  be  the  back  of  the 
monster. 

Touching  a  spring,  an  iron  railing  sprang  up, 
about  five  feet  high. 

This  prevented  any  danger  of  falling  into  the 
sea  in  rough  weather,  for  it  made  a  small  inclosure 
about  twenty  feet  by  ten. 

Mont  saw  that  the  shape  of  the  ship  was  some- 
thing like  a  long  cigar. 


THE  MYSTERIES  OF   THE   ''SEARCHER."      105 

The  sea  was  calm  and  the  sky  clear;  a  light 
breeze  fanned  their  cheeks  as  Mont  opened  his 
lungs  to  take  in  the  inviting  atmosphere. 

There  was,  however,  nothing  to  be  seen.  All 
was  one  vast  desert. 

The  captain  proceeded,  armed  with  a  sextant, 
to  take  the  height  of  the  sun,  which  would  give 
him  his  latitude. 

He  waited  some  minutes  until  the  sun  attained 
the  edge  of  the  horizon. 

Having  calculated  the  longitude  chronometri- 
cally,  he  said: 

"  To-day  I  commence  a  voyage  of  exploration 
under  the  waves." 

"When  you  like,"  replied  Mont;  "anything 
for  a  little  excitement." 

The  captain  conducted  him  downstairs  again, 
the  iron  railing  fell,  the  trapdoor  closed  overhead, 
and  with  a  bow  the  strange  being  left  him  to 
join  his  companions. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  DEVIL  FISH. 


"  He's  about  half  crazy !  " 

Such  was  Mont's  conclusion  as  he  joined  his 
companions. 

While  Mont  was  telling  the  others  of  what  he 
had  seen,  all  were  treated  to  a  surprise. 

A  panel  in  the  wall  slid  back. 

A  large  sheet  of  very  thick  plate  glass,  quite 
transparent,  was  revealed  to  view  almost  immedi- 
ately; a  flood  of  electric  light  lit  up  the  sea  for 
some  distance,  and  everything  was  as  clear  as  day- 
light. 

It  was  as  if  they  were  looking  at  an  immense 
aquarium. 

"  The  captain  is  giving  us  a  surprise,"  re- 
marked the  professor;  "  this  is  charming." 

Innumerable  fishes  of  various  kinds,  most  of 
which  were  unknown,  even  to  a  naturalist  of  Dr. 
Woddle's  standing,  passed  before  them. 

106 


THE  DEVIL  FISH.  107 

Strange,  wild,  fierce-looking  things,  with  won- 
derful tails  and  heads. 

Some  looking  unmistakably  voracious,  others 
being  long  and  slimy  like  hideous  snakes. 

They  were  doubtless  attracted  by  the  electric 
light. 

For  two  hours  the  four  companions  gazed  at 
the  ever-changing  procession,  without  the  least 
abatement  of  their  delight. 

Presently  the  door  opened,  and  a  negro  handed 
the  professor  a  letter. 

He  opened  it  and  read  its  contents  aloud. 

"  Captain  Vindex  presents  his  compliments  to 
Professor  Woddle,  and  will  be  glad  if  he  and  his 
companions  will  accept  an  invitation  to  shoot  in 
the  weed  forests  under  the  sea  to-morrow  morn- 
ing at  ten  o'clock." 

"  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  go !  "  exclaimed  Stump. 
"  Not  if  I  know  it.  I'm  safe  here,  but  I  don't 
want  to  be  chawed  up  by  some  strange  reptile." 

"Silence,  boy!"  said  the  professor.  "Tell 
Captain  Vindex,"  he  continued,  to  the  negro, 
"  that  we  are  much  obliged  to  him  for  his  invita- 
tion, which  we  gladly  accept." 


108  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

The  negro  bowed  and  retired. 

At  the  time  appointed  the  professor  and  the 
boys  were  conducted  to  a  cabin,  which  may  be 
called  the  dressing-room,  or  arsenal,  of  the 
Searcher. 

Hanging  on  the  walls  were  numerous  helmets, 
such  as  divers  wear,  and  a  number  of  guns  re- 
posed on  hooks. 

At  the  last  moment  Stump  had  determined  to 
accompany  the  party. 

Captain  Vindex  was  already  there,  and  received 
them  graciously. 

"  I  wish  you  good-day,  professor,"  he  said ; 
"  and  you,  too,  my  boys.  I  think  we  shall  enjoy 
some  excellent  sport  among  the  sea  otters  and 
other  animals  worth  killing.  You,  Dr.  Woddle, 
will  be  able  to  add  to  your  knowledge  of  natural 
history,  for  we  are  about  to  traverse  a  forest  of 
remarkable  seaweeds  and  plants,  in  which  you  will 
find  all  kinds  of  submarine  life." 

"  I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  kindness,  sir,  and 
put  myself  entirely  at  your  disposal,"  replied  the 
professor. 

At  a  signal  from  the  captain,  two  negroes 


THE   DEVIL   FISH.  109 

assisted  our  heroes  to  put  on  their  apparel,  and 
clothed  them  in  thick  waterproof  made  of  India 
rubber,  which  formed  trousers  and  vest,  the 
trousers  terminating  in  a  pair  of  shoes  with  lead 
soles;  a  cuirass  of  leather  protected  the  chest  from 
the  pressure  of  the  water,  and  allowed  the  lungs 
full  play. 

Supple  gloves  covered  the  hands,  the  helmet 
was  then  put  on,  and  the  knapsack  of  compressed 
air  adjusted  on  the  back. 

To  each  one  was  given  a  gun,  the  butt  of  which 
was  of  brass  and  hollow. 

Here  was  stored  the  compressed  air  which  dis- 
charged the  electric  bullets,  one  of  which  fell  into 
its  proper  place  just  as  the  other  had  been  shot 
away.    The  whole  mechanism  was  perfect. 

When  all  was  ready  they  stepped  into  an  empty 
cabin,  the  door  closed  behind  them,  and,  touching 
a  knob,  the  captain  allowed  the  room  to  fill  with 
water. 

Then  he  opened  a  door  and  they  walked  out 
into  the  sea. 

Each  had  an  electric  lamp  fastened  to  the  waist, 
which  made  their  path  clear  and  distinct,  enabling 


HO  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

them  to  see  every  object  through  the  glass  holes 
in  their  helmets. 

The  captain  walked  in  front  with  the  professor. 

Carl  and  Mont  were  side  by  side,  and  Stump 
brought  up  the  rear. 

Walking  was  not  very  difficult,  and  the  supply 
of  air,  well  charged  with  the  oxygen  necessary 
for  prolonged  respiration,  was  all  that  could  be 
wished.  It  entered  as  it  was  required  from  the 
knapsack  reservoir,  and  escaped  when  used 
through  a  turret  at  the  top  of  the  circular  helmet. 

They  proceeded  along  fine  sand,  covered  with  a 
variety  of  shells,  for  at  least  a  mile,  when  they 
came  to  some  rocks  covered  with  beautiful 
anemones. 

Innumerable  fish  sported  around  them;  long, 
writhing  eels,  of  a  prodigious  size,  with  ugly,  flat 
snake-like  heads,  glided  away  at  their  approach, 
and  thousands  of  jelly  fish  danced  about  their 
heads. 

They  were  not  at  a  great  depth,  and  presum- 
ably were  near  some  island,  for  Mont,  looking  up, 
saw  the  sun  overhead,  guessing  the  depth  to  be 
about  thirty  or  forty  feet. 


THE  DEVIL   FISH.  Ill 

The  sun's  rays  easily  penetrated  the  waves,  and 
made  a  kaleidoscope  of  colors  inconceivably 
beautiful. 

If  the  party  could  have  spoken  they  would  have 
given  vent  to  their  admiration  in  no  measured 
terms. 

The  least  sound  was  transmitted  easily,  show- 
ing that  the  sea  is  a  better  conductor  of  noise  than 
land. 

By  degrees  the  depth  increased,  and  they  must 
have  been  a  hundred  yards  from  the  surface,  as 
the  pressure  of  the  water  increased. 

Mont  suffered  no  inconvenience  except  a  slight 
tingling  in  the  ears  and  fingers. 

He  moved  with  ease,  and  was  intensely  de- 
lighted with  the  wonderful  bed  of  sea  flowers 
which  gave  place  to  the  fine  sand  they  had  been 
traversing. 

A  dark  mass  extended  itself  before  them;  and 
Captain  Vindex,  extending  his  hand,  indicated  the 
beginning  of  the  forest. 

It  was  composed  of  large  seaweeds  and  plants, 
which  extended  in  a  straight  manner,  having  no 
drooping  branches;  all  were  erect  and  motionless. 


112  THE    WIZARD   OF    THE  [SEA. 

When  displaced  by  the  hand  they  resumed  a 
perpendicular  position. 

They  scarcely  had  any  roots  in  the  sand,  and 
were  evidently  nourished  by  the  water  and  not  by 
the  earth. 

Some  were  long  and  slender,  others  short  and 
bushy,  covered  with  blossoms  of  various  colors; 
others,  again,  reached  a  height  equal  to  our  forest 
trees. 

They  had  not  proceeded  far  through  this  dense 
jungle  of  weeds,  among  which  it  was  difficult  to 
pick  a  path,  when  the  captain  halted. 

In  front  of  him  was  a  huge  octopus,  or  devil 
fish,  over  three  feet  in  diameter,  with  long,  terri- 
ble arms. 

It  endeavored  to  seize  the  professor,  who,  sink- 
ing on  his  knees,  shivered  in  silent  terror ! 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

MONT  IS  LOST. 

It  looked  as  if  Professor  Woddle's  last  moment 
had  come. 

In  a  moment  more  the  devil  fish  had  the  shiver- 
ing man  in  its  fearful  embrace. 

The  captain  and  Mont,  however,  raised  their 
guns,  and  with  one  shot  left  it  convulsed  in  its 
dying  agonies. 

As  they  continued  to  descend  into  a  valley, 
bounded  on  each  side  by  high  rocks,  the  darkness 
increased,  for  the  sun's  rays  could  not  penetrate 
more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards. 

It  was  now  that  the  electric  lamps  became  of 
importance. 

As  they  got  lower  and  lower,  Mont  felt  an  op- 
pression about  the  head,  and  a  great  desire  to  sleep 
overcame  him. 

"3 


114  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE  SEA. 

He  lagged  behind  the  others,  and  with  diffi- 
culty kept  up  with  them. 

Several  fine  sea  otters  were  seen  in  front,  play- 
ing about  amongst  the  weeds. 

The  captain  fired,  and  the  others  followed  his 
example. 

Three  fell  dead,  one  of  which  Stump  took  up 
and  threw  over  his  shoulder. 

Suddenly  Mont  sank  down  on  the  ground  and 
immediately  fell  asleep. 

His  companions,  in  the  eagerness  of  their  chase 
after  the  game  that  had  escaped,  did  not  notice  his 
absence. 

They  had  proceeded  fully  half  a  mile,  when 
Barnaby,  looking  back,  was  unable  to  discover 
any  trace  of  Mont. 

He  at  once  ran  to  the  captain  and  made  signs, 
pointing  to  himself,  the  professor,  and  Stump,  and 
pointing  in  different  directions  to  intimate  that 
Mont  was  lost. 

Captain  Vindex  at  once  comprehended  his 
meaning. 

He  retraced  his  steps,  going  carefully  over  the 
ground  they  had  trodden. 


MONT  IS  LOST.  115 

It  was  without  success,  for  nowhere  could  they 
find  the  slightest  trace  of  their  unfortunate  com- 
panion. 

Carl  would  have  given  worlds  had  he  been  able 
to  speak. 

He  was  profoundly  agitated,  for  it  was  horrible 
to  think  that  his  chum  was  lost  under  the  sea,  not 
knowing  his  way  back  to  the  Searcher,  for  they 
had  come  a  roundabout  way. 

Captain  Vindex  was  also  annoyed. 

If  Mont  chose  he  could  climb  up  the  rocks  and 
reach  the  summit. 

There  he  might  take  off  his  helmet,  and  breathe 
the  free  air  of  heaven. 

But  would  he  think  of  this  ? 

Perhaps  in  his  confusion  he  would  wander 
about  in  the  effort  to  meet  his  companions,  and  at 
last  be  suffocated  miserably. 

The  supply  of  air  with  which  each  was  provided 
was  not  sufficient  to  last  more  than  five  hours. 

Two  of  those  hours'  supply  had  been  already 
consumed. 

It  was  necessary  that  Captain  Vindex  and  those 
with  him  should  think  of  returning  to  the  ship. 


Il6  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

Making  a  sign,  he  led  the  way  back. 

Carl  felt  inclined  to  stay  and  die  in  the  attempt 
to  find  his  friend. 

It  would  have  been  an  immense  relief  to  him  to 
have  said  something,  but  not  a  sound  could  he 
make  audible  outside  his  helmet. 

With  sad  and  weary  steps  they  traversed  the 
lovely  valley,  which  had  lost  all  its  former  attrac- 
tions for  the  party. 

The  forest  was  passed  and  the  sand  re- 
gained. 

They  were  not  more  than  two  miles  from  the 
Searcher. 

Carl  determined  to  make  a  last  effort. 

He  seized  the  captain's  arm  and  pointed 
pathetically,  almost  imploringly,  to  the  dense  mass 
of  vegetation  behind  them. 

His  mute  appeal  to  go  back  after  Mont  was 
comprehended. 

But  it  was  disregarded. 

Their  own  lives  would  have  been  in  jeopardy 
had  they  turned  back. 

The  air  in  the  reservoirs  was  becoming  weak 
and  impure. 


MONT  IS  LOST.  1 17 

Shaking  his  head  in  a  negative  manner,  the  cap- 
tain pursued  his  way. 

With  a  heavy  heart  Carl  followed  him,  and  in 
time  the  ship  was  reached. 

They  entered  the  water  room,  closed  the  doors, 
and  the  captain  touched  a  bell. 

Directly  it  sounded  within  the  vessel,  the  pumps 
were  heard  at  work,  the  water  gradually  lowered, 
and  when  it  was  all  out  they  opened  the  inner 
door  and  regained  the  dressing-room. 

It  was  indeed  a  pleasure  to  have  the  helmets  re- 
moved, for  they  had  retained  them  so  long  that 
they  were  oppressed  and  ill. 

The  captain  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  the  misfortune  that  has 
happened,"  he  exclaimed;  "you  must  not  think 
me  hard-hearted  because  I  returned." 

"But  Mont  will  die,"  answered  Carl;  "he  is 
lost,  and  does  not  know  his  way  back." 

"  His  supply  of  air  will  last  another  hour  and  a 
half.    There  is  yet  hope." 

"  What  can  we  do  ?  " 

"  I  will  send  out  a  party  to  search  for  him,  and 
I  will  head  it  myself,"  replied  Captain  Vindex. 


Il8  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

At  this  generous  offer  Carl's  heart  was  filled 
with  fresh  hope. 

The  captain  gave  orders  for  three  negroes  to 
accompany  him. 

They  were  soon  dressed  and  supplied  with  air, 
Captain  Vindex  himself  taking  a  fresh  reservoir. 

Then  the  ceremony  of  going  out  was  repeated, 
and,  as  the  exploring  party  quitted  the  ship,  all 
Carl  could  do  was  to  pray  fervently  for  their 
success. 

He,  the  professor,  and  Stump  were  very  lan- 
guid, and,  in  spite  of  their  anxiety,  they  could  not 
shake  off  the  somnolent  effects  of  their  long  walk. 

Each  sank  down  on  the  floor  of  their  cabin,  and 
was  soon  fast  asleep. 

How  long  they  remained  there  they  did  not 
know. 

Barnaby  awoke,  feeling  a  hand  laid  on  his 
shoulder.    It  was  Captain  Vindex. 

Springing  to  his  feet  in  an  instant,  he  said : 

"  Have  you  found  him?    Where  is  Mont?  " 

"  Unhappily,"  said  the  captain,  "  we  could  find 
no  trace  of  him." 

"  Why  did  I  let  him  go  last?    I  ought  to  have 


MONT  IS  LOST.  1 19 

had  him  in  front  of  me,"  cried  Carl  angrily. 
"  Poor  Mont !  he  is  lying  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
and  I  shall  never  see  him  again.     Never,  never !  " 

He  covered  his  face  with  his  hands,  and  the 
tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks. 

"  I  have  dispatched  another  party  to  seek  for 
him,"  exclaimed  the  captain;  "  I  am  too  worn  out 
to  go  with  them  this  time.  If  they  find  the  body, 
we  may  restore  him  to  consciousness." 

"  There  is  no  hope,"  said  Carl  sadly;  "  you  are 
the  cause  of  his  death.  Why  did  you  inclose  us 
in  this  tomb,  and  then  take  one  of  us  in  the  sea  to 
die?" 

"  Was  it  my  fault?  You  are  hasty,  my  boy,  and 
do  me  great  injustice.  I  am  as  much  grieved  as 
yourself,  for  I  had  begun  to  love  that  lad,"  said 
the  captain  feelingly.  "  We  will  mourn  for  him 
together;  there  is  a  silent  friendship  in  grief. 
We  are  friends,  for  we  have  the  same  sorrow." 

In  a  few  hours  the  searching  party  came  back, 
weary  and  unsuccessful. 

They  could  see  nothing  of  Mont. 

Everyone  gave  up  all  hope,  and  our  hero  was 
mourned  for  as  one  dead. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
mont's  peril. 

"  Where  am  I  ?     Where  are  you,  Carl  ?  " 

After  about  an  hour's  sleep  Mont  was  aroused 
by  an  acute  sensation  of  pain  in  his  right  leg. 

Stretching  out  his  hand,  he  encountered  a  slimy 
substance,  and  withdrew  it  very  quickly. 

Leaning  on  his  elbow,  he  saw  by  the  light  of  his 
lamp  that  a  strange  fish,  with  a  head  like  a  frying- 
pan  and  a  body  resembling  that  of  a  codfish,  was 
biting  through  his  waterproof  covering  and  try- 
ing to  eat  part  of  his  leg. 

In  an  instant  he  seized  his  gun,  and,  firing  at 
its  eye,  wounded  it  grievously,  causing  it  to  splash 
about  and  retreat  into  a  mass  of  weeds,  where  its 
struggles  continued  for  some  time. 

For  a  moment  Mont  forgot  where  he  was. 

But  as  his  senses  came  back  to  him,  he  recol- 
lected everything,  and,  rising,  looked  about  for  his 
companions. 


MONT'S  PERIL.  121 

As  he  could  see  nothing  of  them,  a  horrible  fear 
took  possession  of  him,  and  he  trembled  from 
head  to  foot. 

They  had  lost  him  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean. 

Without  an  experienced  guide  like  Captain  Vin- 
dex,  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  find  his  way- 
back. 

The  dangerous  and  perhaps  fatal  sleep  which 
had  overcome  him  must  be  fought  against. 

For  if  it  came  on  again  he  knew  he  must  die. 

How  much  precious  air  had  he  not  consumed 
already  ? 

To  him,  in  his  condition,  air  was  life. 

He  knew  that  he  had  only  a  supply  for  a  limited 
period. 

The  only  course  that  remained  open  to  him  was 
to  march  as  quickly  as  the  dense  mass  of  water 
would  let  him,  and  try  to  regain  the  Searcher. 

But  though  he  turned  round,  he  could  not  find 
the  sandy  plain  they  had  first  traversed  on  leaving 
the  ship. 

The  forest  of  sea  weeds,  rising  straight  as 
arrows  on  all  sides  of  him,  erect  and  motionless, 
grew  dense;  animal  life  was  everywhere. 


12  2  THE    WIZARD  OF    THE   SEA. 

Strange  fishes  glared  at  him,  and  seemed  to 
mock  his  misery  by  their  quick,  darting  move- 
ments and  sportive  gambols. 

He  pushed  his  way  fiercely  through  the 
vegetable  growth,  but  only  to  become  more 
entangled. 

All  at  once  the  ground  became  hilly,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  he  had  come  to  the  end  of  the  valley 
and  was  ascending  one  of  the  sides. 

He  pushed  on,  thinking  he  would  give  the 
world  to  be  able  to  rise  to  the  surface. 

If  he  could  only  penetrate  that  thick  water  and 
float  on  the  top  of  the  waves,  breathing  the  free 
air  of  heaven,  he  would  have  gladly  done  so,  even 
if  he  were  to  die  an  hour  afterward. 

Gradually  he  quitted  the  forest,  and  the  sun's 
rays  began  to  be  visible  again. 

Decidedly  he  must  be  getting  higher. 

Presently  a  great  black  mass  appeared  at  his 
side. 

He  could  see  that  it  was  a  ferocious  shark, 
whose  huge  mouth  seemed  capable  of  engulfing 
him. 

Instinctively  he  threw  himself  on  his  back. 


MONT'S  PERIL.  123 

The  voracious  creature  had  made  a  dart  at  him, 
but  shot  past,  disappointed  of  its  prey. 

If  it  had  seized  his  arm  or  his  leg,  or  even  his 
head,  one  snap  of  its  mouth  would  have  been  suf- 
ficient to  cut  off  either. 

As  the  animal  swam  around  him  Mont  pointed 
his  gun  and  fired. 

The  shot  entered  its  stomach,  but  was  not 
mortal. 

Another  and  another  followed,  and  at  last  the 
vast  mass  floated  slowly  upward,  showing  that  it 
was  dead. 

Thanking  Providence  for  this  narrow  escape, 
and  congratulating  himself  on  his  presence  of 
mind,  our  hero  continued  the  ascent. 

The  path  became  steep  and  rugged,  and  it  was 
with  difficulty  that  he  made  his  way. 

He  was  evidently  ascending  the  side  of  a  rock, 
which  became  more  precipitous  as  he  went  on. 

Where  did  it  lead? 

Was  it  raised  above  the  surface  or  did  it  fall 
short  of  it? 

If  so,  he  would  have  his  trouble  for  nothing. 

He  breathed  with  an  effort,  and  his  breath  grew 


124  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

shorter  and  shorter  every  moment,  for  he  was 
making  a  great  demand  upon  his  reservoir  of  air 
while  undergoing  strong  exertion. 

At  length  he  had  to  stop. 

It  seemed  as  if  his  strength  were  failing 
him. 

The  sleepy  feeling  overtook  him  again,  and  he 
leaned  back  against  the  shining  rock,  which  re- 
flected the  sun's  rays. 

He  was  face  to  face  with  death. 

Not  much  longer  would  his  lungs  be  supplied 
with  breathing  air. 

Suffocation  threatened  Mont  with  a  painful 
end,  yet  he  was  so  weak  and  prostrate  that  he 
seemed  unable  to  make  another  effort. 

Every  moment  was  of  priceless  value. 

At  last  he  went  on. 

How  he  did  it  he  never  knew;  but  he  managed 
to  climb  the  almost  perpendicular  rocks,  which 
afforded  little  or  no  footing. 

At  last  the  sun's  rays  were  more  vivid,  and, 
with  a  feeling  of  wonder,  Mont  found  himself 
moving  with  comparative  ease. 

This  was  because  he  had  reached  the  summit  of 


MONT'S  PERIL.  1*5 

the  rock  after  climbing  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  yards. 

He  was  out  of  the  water. 

With  nervous  hands  he  tore  off  his  helmet,  and, 
lying  on  his  side,  inhaled  the  air  for  a  few  minutes. 

"  I  am  saved,  saved!  "  cried  Mont  delightedly. 

He  rose  at  length,  and  looked  around  him. 

The  rock  on  which  he  was  standing  was  a  nar- 
row, barren  peak,  which  just  rose  above  the 
surface,  and  that  was  all. 

The  remainder  of  the  ledge  was  under  water. 
If  he  had  not  ascended  in  that  place  he  must  have 
died. 

Afar  off  was  what  appeared  to  be  a  small  island. 
But  whether  it  was  an  arid  desert  or  not  he  was 
unable  to  tell. 

"  Perhaps  I  shall  die  of  hunger  and  thirst,"  he 
muttered;  "but  death  is  better  here  than  in  the 
forest  under  the  sea." 

Sleep  again  overcame  him,  and  he  passed  sev- 
eral hours  in  a  deep  slumber. 

With  wakefulness  came  a  horrible  sensation  of 
hunger  and  thirst. 

While  he  was  gazing  around  him,  with  despair 


1«6  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

again  attacking  him,  he  saw  something  rise  in  the 
sea  a  short  distance  off. 

He  thought  he  recognized  the  black  back  of  the 
Searcher,  and  he  was  not  mistaken. 

The  trap-door  opened,  and  two  men  appeared 
on  the  platform. 

They  were  Captain  Vindex  and  Professor 
Woddle. 

Mont  tried  to  cry  out,  but  only  a  feeble  sound 
came  from  his  lips. 

He,  however,  waved  his  hands,  and  the  signal 
was  seen. 

Soon  the  electric  boat  floated  gently  to  the  rock. 

He  stepped  on  the  platform,  which  was  by  this 
time  crowded  with  the  crew,  Carl,  and  Stump. 

The  next  moment  he  was  in  the  arms  of  kind 
friends. 

He  sank  fainting  at  their  feet,  and  was  carried 
below,  where  he  remained  some  days  before  he 
entirely  recovered  his  strength. 

Captain  Vindex  had  entertained  an  idea  that 
Mont  might  reach  the  surface  by  climbing  up  the 
rocks,  although  he  scarcely  dared  to  hold  this 
opinion  as  a  certainty. 


MONT'S  PERIL.  1 27 

But  when  nothing  could  be  seen  of  him  below 
the  surface,  he  resolved  to  look  for  him  above. 

Consequently  the  Searcher  rose  under  his 
orders,  with  the  happy  result  we  have  described. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    WRECKS. 

When  Mont  was  fully  recovered,  the  negro 
Number  One  announced  that  they  were  going  on 
a  long  voyage. 

"  Massa  say  him  start  for  urn  South  Pole/'  he 
said.  "  In  one  hour  we  be  off,  and  travel  for 
many  week.     Travel  to  the  Pole." 

In  effect,  they  soon  heard  the  motion  of  tht 
machinery,  and  the  Searcher  began  her  long  sub- 
marine cruise. 

For  about  a  week  they  saw  nothing  of  the  cap- 
tain. 

This  mysterious  man  shut  himself  up  and 
sought  intercourse  with  no  one. 

Every  day,  for  some  hours,  the  panel  in  their 
cabin  slid  back,  and  they  enjoyed  the  treat  of  look- 
ing at  the  sea  lighted  by  electricity. 

The  direction  of  the  Searcher  was  southeast, 

128 


THE    WRECKS.  1 29 

and  she  kept  at  a  depth  of  a  hundred  to  a  hundred 
and  fifty  feet. 

One  day,  while  the  electric  ship  was  stopping 
to  replenish  her  power,  a  curious  incident  hap- 
pened. 

Stump  was  looking  out  of  the  window,  and  he 
suddenly  exclaimed : 

"What  is  that,  sir?" 

Everyone  went  to  examine,  and  a  ship  dis- 
mantled was  seen  slowly  sinking  to  the  bottom. 

It  had  foundered  a  short  time  before  with  all 
hands. 

Several  men  were  lashed  to  the  riggings,  and 
their  agonized  faces  testified  to  their  late  suffer- 
ings. 

A  shoal  of  sharks  followed  the  sinking  wreck 
with  distended  eyes,  anticipating  a  feast  of  human 
flesh. 

As  the  hull  passed  the  window,  Mont  read  her 
name,  which  was  the  Firefly  of  Savannah. 

This  was  not  an  isolated  case,  for  they  fre- 
quently saw  wrecks,  and  remains  of  wrecks,  such 
as  cannons,  anchors,  chains,  and  decaying  hulls. 

"  Well,  this  is  a  lively  existence,"  exclaimed 


130  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

Mont;  "  we  eat  nothing  but  fish,  and  see  nothing 
but  fish." 

"  And  wrecks,"  put  in  Carl. 

A  heavy  step  was  heard  behind  them,  and  all 
turned  round,  to  see  the  captain. 

He  placed  his  hand  upon  a  map,  and  exclaimed : 

"  Do  you  see  this  island — Malonon  ?  It  is 
where  the  gallant  French  explorer  Posterri  per- 
ished. We  are  close  to  it,  and,  if  you  please, 
gentlemen,  you  shall  land  and  explore  it  for  your- 
selves." 

This  was  good  news. 

"  But,"  said  the  professor,  "  if  I  remember 
rightly,  it  is  inhabited  by  savages." 

"  Certainly." 

"  Shall  we  not  be  in  danger  ?  " 

"  I  fear  nothing,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  have 
braved  danger  among  civilized  nations,  and  I  can 
afford  to  despise  savages.  If  you  do  not  wish  it, 
however,  I  will  continue  my  voyage." 

"Don't  do  that,  sir,"  replied  Mont.  "I'll 
chance  the  niggers.  Let  us  land.  I  know  Carl 
and  Stump  would  like  it." 

"  And  you,  Mr.  Professor  ?  "  said  the  captain. 


THE    WRECKS.  131 

"  I,  sir,  will  go  anywhere  in  the  interests  of 
science,"  replied  Homer  Woddle,  with  a  nervous 
tremor  in  his  voice  which  showed  he  did  not  like 
savages. 

The  news  raised  the  boys'  spirits  to  the  highest 
pitch. 

After  confinement  on  board  the  Searcher  the 
prospect  of  going  on  land  was  enchanting. 

No  matter  what  danger  they  might  encounter 
they  were  ready. 

Carl  whispered  that  they  might  have  a  chance 
of  escaping. 

Mont  said  nothing,  but  he  was  of  the  same 
opinion. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

ON    LAND    ONCE    MORE. 

The  party  were  allowed  to  go  on  shore  without 
even  promising  to  return,  and  the  heart  of  each 
beat  high  with  the  prospect  of  liberty  before  them. 

Professor  Woddle  explained  that  they  might 
traverse  the  country  nearby,  and  so  get  to  some 
port,  but  the  journey  would  be  perilous  in  the  ex- 
treme. 

His  advice  was  to  camp  in  the  wood,  obtain 
fresh  provisions,  and  await  the  course  of  events. 

Stump  alone  was  in  doubt. 

"  The  captain,"  he  remarked,  "  is  a  wonderful 
man,  and  knows  perfectly  well  what  he  is  about. 
He  has  told  us  we  shall  never  again  set  our  feet  on 
civilized  ground,  has  he  not  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Everyone  knows  that,"  answered  the 
professor. 

"  He'll  keep  his  word,  and  I'll  bet  a  new  hat  we 
are  on  board  again  to-morrow,  or  perhaps  to-day." 

*3» 


ON  LAND   ONCE  MORE.  133 

"  I'll  take  you,"  replied  Mont,  "  though  how  the 
bet  is  to  be  paid  I  don't  know,  as  there  are  no  hat 
shops  on  board  the  boat." 

"  I'd  give  something  to  find  out  all  about  our 
skipper,"  said  Carl.  "  He  is  the  most  curious 
beggar  I  ever  met.  All  four  of  us  are  not  a  match 
for  him." 

"  Speak  for  yourself,  my  young  but  still  intelli- 
gent friend,"  answered  the  professor.  "  Time 
will  show." 

"  We'll  have  some  fresh  meat  soon,"  observed 
Stump,  "  and  if  you'll  trust  the  cooking  to  me, 
Master  Mont,  you  shall  have  a  dinner  fit  for  a  king 
in  half  an  hour  after  running  down  the  game." 

"  A  little  venison  or  wild  boar,  which  is  pork, 
would  be  very  acceptable,"  answered  the  pro- 
fessor; "and  my  knowledge  of  natural  history 
enables  me  to  tell  you  that  we  shall  find  both  on 
this  island  which  we  are  about  to  visit." 

"  Roast  pork — lovely !  It  makes  my  mouth 
water,"  said  Stump. 

"  Do  you  want  to  have  the  jaw  all  to  your- 
self ?  "  asked  Mont.  "  Go  and  ask  when  the  boat 
will  be  ready  to  take  us  ashore." 


134  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA, 

Stump  departed  on  his  errand  and  found  the 
boat  already  prepared  for  them. 

It  was  made  of  various  pieces  of  wood,  which 
were  easily  put  together  when  it  was  wanted  and 
taken  apart  when  it  was  not  required. 

It  would  hold  half  a  dozen  men,  and  floated  by 
the  side  of  the  Searcher. 

Each  of  the  four  companions  was  provided  with 
an  electric  gun  containing  the  usual  twenty  shots. 

"  A  pleasant  excursion,  gentlemen,"  said  the 
captain,  as  they  emerged  on  the  platform;  "  I  hope 
you  do  not  intend  to  deprive  me  for  any  length  of 
time  of  the  pleasure  of  your  society." 

"  Wouldn't  do  such  a  thing  for  worlds,  sir,"  an- 
swered our  hero. 

"  You  needn't  return  to-night,  if  you  prefer 
camping  out." 

"  We  didn't  mean  to,"  replied  Mont. 

A  peculiar  smile  crossed  Captain  Vindex's  ex- 
pressive face,  as  if  he  guessed  what  was  passing 
in  the  youth's  mind. 

"  Remember  one  thing,"  he  said;  "  be  very  care- 
ful of  your  ammunition.' 

"Why?" 


ON  LAND  ONCE  MORE.  135 

"  You  will  find  out  in  time.  All  I  have  to  say 
is,  recollect  my  advice,"  was  the  answer. 

They  got  into  the  boat  and  rowed  ashore,  pick- 
ing their  way  carefully  through  the  coral  reefs, 
and  in  five  minutes  the  bottom  of  the  boat  grated 
upon  a  sandy  beach. 

"  Hurrah!  "  cried  Mont,  throwing  up  his  cap; 
"  land  once  more !  " 

Stump,  who  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  all 
the  tricks  of  boys,  put  down  his  hands  and 
"  turned  a  wheel,"  after  which  he  stood  on  his 
head,  to  give  expression  to  his  delight. 

Huge  forests  stretched  far  inland,  and  raised 
their  mighty  heads  a  hundred  feet  from  the  earth. 

Palms,  shrubs,  and  creepers  were  mingled  with 
the  trees  in  grand  confusion,  and  this  scene,  in  the 
glowing  sunshine,  was  indescribably  beautiful. 

The  professor  saw  a  cocoanut  palm,  and,  knock- 
ing off  some  of  the  fruit,  gave  it  to  the  boys,  who 
pronounced  it  delicious. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  we  will  shoot  something  and 
dine  as  we  have  not  dined  for  a  long  time." 

"  I've  some  salt  in  my  pocket,  and  Stump  has 
lcnives,"  remarked  Carl. 


136  THE    WIZARD  OP  THE  SEA. 

"  It  looks  to  me,"  said  Mont,  "  as  if  we  were 
likely  to  have  a  sirloin  of  tiger  for  dinner;  that 
forest  ought  to  be  full  of  wild  beasts." 

"  No  matter,"  answered  Carl,  "  anything's  bet- 
ter than  fish.     Come  on." 

They  skirted  the  forest,  fearing  to  enter  it  lest 
they  might  lose  themselves  in  its  dense  interior. 

Keeping  their  guns  ready  for  instant  action, 
they  proceeded  about  half  a  mile,  when  the  pro- 
fessor held  up  his  hand. 

In  front  of  them  was  a  large  breadfruit  tree, 
and  under  its  branches  was  a  wild  boar,  engaged 
in  eating  the  tender  fruit  which  had  fallen  to  the 
ground. 

"  Approach  gently,  and  fire  all  together,"  said 
the  professor. 

They  did  so,  and  four  shots  were  discharged  at 
the  same  time. 

The  wild  boar  uttered  a  ferocious  grunt,  ran  a 
few  paces,  and  fell  down  dead. 

"  What  is  it,  sir?  "  asked  Carl. 

"  A  wild  boar ;  do  you  not  see  his  tusks  ?  Now, 
Stumpton,  set  to  work,  and  cut  a  leg  of  pork  off 
piggy.     You,  Folsom,  make  a  fire  with  the  dry 


ON  LAND   ONCE    MORE.  137 

wood;  it  will  kindle  when  I  rub  two  sticks  to- 
gether. You,  Barnaby,  gather  some  of  this 
fruit." 

"  Is  it  good  to  eat,  sir?  " 

"  You  will  find  it  excellent.  I  recognize  it  as 
the  breadfruit  of  the  tropics,  and,  cut  up  in  slices 
and  toasted  over  the  fire,  nothing  could  be  better 
for  us  with  our  roast  pork,"  answered  the  pro- 
fessor. 

They  were  quickly  at  work.  The  fire  was 
lighted,  the  leg  of  pork  cut  off  and  fixed  to  a 
tripod,  the  breadfruit  toasted,  and  plates  supplied 
by  large  palm  leaves.  Presently  a  delicious  odor 
of  roast  pork  spread  itself  around. 

After  living  so  long  on  the  peculiar  fare  pro- 
vided by  Captain  Vindex,  they  enjoyed  their  din- 
ner immensely;  and,  when  they  had  satisfied  their 
appetites,  they  sat  down  under  the  shade  of  a  tree, 
sheltered  from  the  noontide  heat. 

"  Now,  sir,"  said  Mont,  "  what  are  we 
to  do?" 

"  I  have  no  wish  to  return  to  our  floating 
prison,"  replied  the  professor.  "  The  question  is, 
shall  we  go  back,  or  shall  we  try  to  make  our  way 


138  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

to  some  port,  risking  the  dangers  of  the  way,  the 
chances  of  starvation?  " 

"  That  does  not  appear  likely,"  answered  Mont, 
thinking  of  the  roast  pork  and  the  breadfruit. 

"  When  our  guns  are  empty,  we  may  not  find  it 
so  easy  to  kill  game,  however  abundant  it  may  be. 
The  savages  are  another  danger." 

"  Put  it  to  the  vote,  sir,"  said  our  hero. 

"  Certainly;  all  you  who  wish  to  make  an  effort 
to  escape  from  the  thralldom  in  which  we  are  held, 
hold  up  your  hands." 

Every  hand  was  extended. 

"To  the  contrary?" 

There  was  no  response. 

"  Not  a  hand,"  said  the  professor.  "  I  may, 
then,  conclude,  that  we  are  unanimous  in  our  wish 
for  freedom,  and  it  is  decided  that  we  do  not  re- 
turn to  the  Searcher" 

"  Hurrah !  "  cried  Stump,  proceeding  to  stand 
on  his  head  again. 

"  If  you  don't  stop  those  street-arab  tricks,"  re- 
marked Mont,  "  you'll  have  a  fit,  after  such  a  meal 
as  you've  had." 

Stump  resumed  his  natural  position. 


ON  LAND  ONCE  MORE.  139 

"  There's  no  He,  sir,  about  my  having  had  a 
filler  of  pork,"  he  replied.  "  But  though  I'm  only 
an  odd  boy,  I've  got  my  feelings,  and  I'd  as  soon 
be  a  convict  as  in  that  there  prison  ship." 

"  The  youth  is  right,"  observed  the  professor 
mildly;  "  to  live  and  die  in  that  ship  is  an  awful 
prospect,  and  I  would  rather  herd  with  savages  in 
their  wilds  than  do  it." 

And  as  if  it  was  intended  as  an  answer  to  his 
speech,  an  arrow  flew  over  his  head. 

Fortunately  it  missed  its  mark,  and  stuck  quiv- 
ering into  the  bark  of  the  tree  under  which  they 
were  sitting. 

Everyone  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  stood,  gun  in 
hand,  on  the  defensive. 

"  Savages,  by  George !  "  exclaimed  Mont. 

"  Where?  "  asked  the  professor. 

"  To  the  right,  sir.  Fire  away,  and  chance  it, 
or  we  shall  all  be  killed." 

There  was  an  instant  discharge  of  firearms,  and 
a  scuffling  was  heard  behind  some  cactus  and 
mimosa  bushes. 

A  dozen  savages,  nearly  naked,  armed  with 
spears  and  bows  and  arrows,  were  seen  in  a  state 


MO  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

of    hesitation,    whether    to    fly    or    stand    their 
ground. 

Three  of  their  number  had  fallen  from  the  dis- 
charge, and  one,  who  was  mortally  wounded,  was 
crawling,  in  a  slow,  labored  manner,  into  the  bush 
to  die. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

FIGHTING    THE    SAVAGES. 

"  They  are  retreating !  "  cried  Mont  joyfully. 

"  No !  no !  they  are  coming  on  again !  "  put  in 
Carl,  a  few  seconds  later. 

"At  'em  again,  boys;  let  them  have  it,"  said 
the  professor. 

"  Hot  and  strong  this  time,  sir,"  said  Stump, 
advancing  a  step  to  take  better  aim. 

Again  the  bullets  flew,  and  three  more  savages 
went  down. 

The  others  turned  to  fly  to  the  shelter  of  the 
neighboring  forests. 

"  Hurrah !  they're  bolting,"  said  Mont. 

"  But  they've  collared  what  was  left  of  our 
bread,  and  the  remains  of  the  roast  pork,"  said  the 
hired  boy  angrily.  "  Oh,  the  varmints !  I'll  just 
give  them  something." 

He  advanced  to  fire  better. 

An  aged  chief,  however,  turned  at  this  moment 

«4* 


142  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

and  discharged  a  parting  shot  which  took  effect 
in  the  calf  of  Stump's  leg. 

"Oh,  dear!  I'm  hit,"  he  cried.  "A  great 
wooden  skewer's  stuck  right  in  my  leg,  sir.  Per- 
haps it's  poisoned,  sir.  Oh,  dear,  but  I  wish  it 
hadn't  been  me.  There's  the  professor,  now;  he 
could  have  borne  it  better  than  me." 

"  Thank  you,  my  young  friend,"  said  the  pro- 
fessor, "  the  calf  of  my  leg  is  as  susceptible  to  pain 
as  yours;  let  us  get  away,  as  arrowheads  are 
sharp,  and  in  certain  parts  of  the  body  mortal." 

"  Where  shall  we  go?  "  asked  Mont. 

"  We  are  not  safe  here.  The  savages  will  re- 
turn in  larger  numbers  directly,  and  we  shall  prob- 
ably lose  our  lives,  so  I  propose  to  seek  our  boat?  " 

"  And  go  back  to  the  Searcher?  "  asked  Carl. 

"  Yes." 

"  Never !     I  for  one  will  not  go !  "  cried  Carl. 

"  And  I  can't  crawl.  I'm  as  lame  as  a  dog," 
said  Stump,  half  crying. 

"  Roll,  if  you  can't  walk,"  said  the  professor 
jokingly. 

"  Pull  it  out,  sir.  Give  me  a  hand  with  it.  It 
hurts  awful." 


FIGHTING    THE   SAVAGES.  143 

Mont  advanced  to  the  boy  and  seized  the  arrow- 
head, which  he  tugged  at  until,  with  a  torrent  of 
blood,  it  came  out  of  the  wound. 

It  was  with  difficulty  Stump  managed  to  limp 
on  one  leg,  and  seemed  very  grateful  when  Mont 
bound  up  the  wound  and  told  him  to  lean  on  his 
shoulder. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  said  the  professor,  "  discretion 
is  the  better  part  of  valor.  I  am  averse  to  the  tak- 
ing of  human  life,  for  I  am  a  man  of  science  and 
not  a  fighter.  My  advice  is  to  check  the  advance 
of  those  bloodthirsty  savages,  and  when  your  am- 
munition is  spent,  to  run.  As  I  am  old,  and  not 
quick  of  foot,  I  will  start  at  once." 

So  saying,  he  ran  with  all  speed  to  the  boat. 

"  Coward !  "  said  Mont  angrily. 

"  What  are  we  to  do  ?  "  asked  Carl  blankly. 

"  Follow  him,  I  suppose,"  replied  Mont. 
"  Bring  up  the  rear,  Carl,  while  I  help  Stump 
along,  and  if  the  beasts  show  again,  call  us,  and 
we  will  turn  and  fire." 

They  began  to  beat  a  retreat  in  this  order,  and, 
fortunately,  the  natives  did  not  again  make  an  ap- 
pearance. 


144  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

The  half-mile  was  traversed  quickly,  Stump 
groaning  dreadfully  as  he  was  forced  along. 

When  within  a  few  paces  of  the  boat  awful  yells 
were  heard  behind  them. 

Turning  to  see  from  whence  they  proceeded, 
Mont  saw  a  horde  of  savages  in  pursuit.  The 
sands  seemed  to  be  alive  with  them. 

Evidently  the  defeated  party  had  returned  to 
obtain  re-enforcements  and  apprise  their  com- 
panions of  the  slaughter  which  had  taken  place, 
urging  them  to  avenge  it. 

An  army  of  at  least  three  hundred  wild-looking 
fiends  were  at  their  heels,  and  not  a  moment  was 
to  be  lost. 

"  Quick,  for  Heaven's  sake ! "  said  Professor 
Woddle.  "  The  savages  are  upon  us.  Quick, 
boys,  or  we  are  lost !  " 

The  boys  sprang  into  the  boat,  placing  Stump 
in  the  bows,  and  pushed  off. 

Carl  and  Mont  plied  the  oars  vigorously. 

Fortunately,  when  the  savages  reached  the 
beach  they  were  some  distance  out. 

A  flight  of  arrows  fell  close  to  them  without 
doing  them  any  harm. 


FIGHTING    THE   SAVAGES.  145 

At  least  a  hundred  of  the  natives  plunged  into 
the  sea  up  to  the  waist,  but  they  did  not  attempt  to 
swim  after  the  boat,  which  soon  reached  the 
Searcher. 

Mont  expected  to  see  someone,  but  the  platform 
was  deserted. 

Our  hero  at  once  went  to  the  captain,  being 
alarmed  at  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  savages, 
whom  he  did  not  doubt  were  possessed  of  canoes 
and  would  make  an  attack  upon  the  ship. 

He  was  annoyed  at  being  obliged  to  take  shelter 
so  soon,  but  what  could  he  do  ? 

All  his  hopes  of  liberty  in  flight  were  nipped  in 
the  bud. 

He  began  to  see  now  that  Captain  Vindex  knew 
the  character  of  the  coast,  and  had  calculated  well 
on  their  return  to  their  captivity. 

Imprisonment  with  him  was  better  than  death 
or  slavery  among  the  savages  of  the  island. 

The  captain  was  sitting  in  front  of  the  organ 
playing  an  exquisite  air  of  Beethoven. 

Full  of  excitement,  Mont  had  no  time  to 
listen. 

He  touched  him  on  the  shoulder. 


146  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

The  Wizard  of  the  Sea  seemed  unconscious  of 
his  presence. 

"  Captain,"  said  our  hero. 

The  strange  being  shivered  and  turned  round. 

"  Ah,"  he  cried,  "  'tis  you,  Mr.  Folsom.  Have 
you  had  good  sport?  You  have  returned  sooner 
than  I  expected." 

"  The  sport  was  not  bad,"  replied  Mont,  "  but 
unfortunately  we  met  with  a  troop  of  savages, 
who  spoilt  our  fun." 

The  captain  smiled  ironically. 

"  Savages !  "  he  repeated.  "  Were  you  sur- 
prised at  meeting  with  them  ?  Have  you  so  little 
geographical  knowledge  that  you  do  not  know 
they  swarm  hereabouts?  " 

"  All  I  know  is,"  replied  Mont,  "  that  if  you 
don't  want  them  on  board  the  boat,  you  had  better 
look  out." 

"  My  dear  fellow,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  am  not 
likely  to  trouble  my  head  about  such  wretches." 

"  But  there  are  lots  of  them." 

"How  many?" 

"  Over  three  hundred,  I  should  think,  as  well  as 
I  could  count." 


FIGHTING   THE   SAVAGES.  147 

"  We  have  nothing  to  fear  from  them,  nothing 
at  all,"  said  the  captain.     "  Don't  be  alarmed." 

Without  another  word  he  turned  again  to  the 
organ,  and  played  a  Scotch  air  which  had  an  in- 
describable charm  about  it. 

He  was  plunged  again  in  a  reverie  that  Mont 
did  not  think  it  prudent  to  interrupt. 

He  remounted  to  the  platform  without  seeing  a 
single  negro. 

The  most  absolute  want  of  precaution  reigned 
on  board  the  Searcher,  and  it  looked  as  if  no  one 
knew  that  hundreds  of  howling  savages  were 
within  five  minutes'  row  of  them. 

In  the  growing  darkness,  which  came  on  while 
Mont  was  alone,  he  could  see  the  forms  of  the 
natives  running  backward  and  forward  on  the 
beach. 

They  were  evidently  planning  an  attack  upon  a 
large  scale. 

What  could  account  for  the  captain's  strange 
apathy  ? 

After  a  time  he  forgot  the  natives  in  admiring 
the  lovely  night  of  the  tropics. 

The  zodiacal  stars  appeared,   and  the  moon 


148  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

shone  brightly  amidst  innumerable  constellations 
of  the  zenith. 

He  wished  that  the  moon  would  light  the 
Searcher  to  the  coral  bed,  and  that  they  would 
sink  to  the  bottom,  where  they  would  be  safe  from 
their  enemies. 

Proceeding  below  again  he  sought  his  friends. 

The  door  giving  access  to  the  interior  of  the 
boat  remained  open,  and  he  observed  a  slave  stand- 
ing at  the  bottom  of  the  staircase  as  if  on  watch. 

Stump  had  his  leg  plastered  up,  and,  though  in 
pain,  was  much  better. 

Strange  to  say,  all  were  pleased  to  return  to  the 
boat,  and  to  escape  a  fearful  death  of  lifelong 
slavery  among  the  savages,  who  are  known  to 
travelers  as  the  Papouans. 

Mont  slept  badly,  for  he  anticipated  a  night 
attack. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

ELECTRIFYING    THE    SAVAGES. 

"  What  a  sight !  They  are  going  to  attack 
us,  sure !  " 

It  was  Mont  who  spoke,  as  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  he  ascended  to  the  platform. 

The  morning  mist  had  lifted,  and  he  could  see 
the  land  distinctly. 

The  savages  were  very  busy,  and  more  numer- 
ous than  they  had  been  the  night  before. 

As  well  as  he  could  calculate,  he  counted  six  or 
seven  hundred  of  them. 

They  were  tall,  handsome  men,  with  an  erect 
bearing,  their  features  well  chiseled. 

In  their  ears  they  wore  rings  of  bone. 

Their  arms  were  bows  and  arrows,  spears,  and 
shields  made  of  the  skins  of  fish  stretched  over 
a  wooden  frame  or  the  back  of  the  turtle. 

A  chief  rowed  in  a  canoe  toward  the  Searcher, 
keeping  at  a  safe  distance. 

He  was  adorned  with  a  fantastic  headdress  of 
149 


15°  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

feathers  and  leaves,  and  seemed  to  be  the  king  of 
the  country. 

Having  nothing  better  to  do,  Mont  got  a  fish- 
ing line  from  the  negro  who  usually  attended  upon 
him,  and  amused  himself  with  catching  some  of 
the  fish  that  swam  round  the  ship. 

No  one  made  any  preparation  to  repel  an  attack 
of  the  Papouans,  which  alarmed  Mont  very  much. 

He  had,  however,  so  much  confidence  in  the 
sagacity  of  Captain  Vindex  that  he  believed  he 
would  not  be  caught  asleep. 

For  two  hours  he  continued  his  sport  with  tol- 
erable success,  and  was  so  wrapped  up  in  it  that  he 
forgot  the  natives  for  the  time. 

While  he  was  engaged  in  pulling  up  a  good  bite, 
an  arrow  whizzed  past  him. 

Mont  dropped  his  fish,  and  very  nearly  his  line. 

"Bother  the  brutes!"  he  exclaimed;  "can't 
they  let  a  fellow  fish  in  peace  ?  Why  doesn't  the 
captain  make  a  start  and  get  away  from  them  ?  " 

He  was  as  eager  now  to  leave  the  land  as  he  had 
been  the  day  before  to  reach  it. 

It  was  clear  that  the  Papouans  were  puzzled. 

They  had  seen  European  ships  before,  but  what 


ELECTRIFYING   THE   SAVAGES.  151 

could  they  make  of  a  long  cylinder  of  iron,  with- 
out masts,  almost  flush  with  the  surface  of  the 
water,  and  no  chimney  like  a  steamer  ? 

But  they  gained  confidence  as  they  saw  no  at- 
tempt made  to  drive  them  away. 

They  had  seen  some  of  their  number  killed  by 
the  air-guns,  yet  they  had  heard  no  noise. 

All  at  once  a  flotilla  consisting  of  a  score  of 
canoes,  full  of  savages,  put  off  from  the  shore,  and 
approached  the  ship. 

Mont  at  once  sought  refuge  in  the  interior  of 
the  ship,  and  ran  to  apprise  the  captain  of  the  for- 
midable state  affairs  were  assuming. 

Clearly  no  orders  had  been  given  to  repel 
boarders. 

Knocking  at  the  captain's  door,  he  was  told  to 
enter. 

Captain  Vindex  was  reading. 

"  Do  I  disturb  you?  "  asked  Mont  politely. 

"  A  little,"  replied  the  captain;  "  but  I  suppose 
you  have  good  reason  for  seeking  me  ?  " 

"  Rather,"  answered  our  hero.  "  We  are  sur- 
rounded by  savages,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we  shall 
have  them  on  board." 


IS*  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

"  Ah,"  said  the  captain,  "  they  have  got  their 
canoes,  I  suppose?  " 

"  Heaps  of  them." 

"  Then  we  must  do  something." 

"  Shut  up  the  shop,"  said  Mont. 

"  That  is  easily  done,"  replied  the  captain, 
touching  a  bell,  and  adding :  "  In  half  a  minute 
the  trapdoor  will  be  closed.  You  need  not  be 
afraid  that  they  will  break  in." 

"  No,  but  to-morrow  we  shall  want  air,  and 
you  must  open  the  door  again  for  your  pumps  to 
work." 

"  Yes;  our  ship  is  like  a  great  whale,  and  can- 
not live  without  air." 

"  In  a  moment  the  Papouans  will  be  on  the  top 
of  us,  and  I  don't  suppose  they  will  go  away  in  a 
hurry,"  replied  Mont. 

"  You  suppose  they  will  take  possession  of  the 
outside  and  keep  it?  " 

"  Exactly." 

"  Well,  then,"  answered  the  captain  calmly,  "  I 
don't  see  why  they  shouldn't.  Why  should  I  kill 
the  poor  creatures  if  I  can  help  it?  I  know  many 
savages  in  the  civilized  world  whom  I  would  cut 


ELECTRIFYING    THE   SAVAGES.  l$3 

off  with  more  pleasure.  Leave  them  to  me.  If 
it  is  necessary  I  will  make  a  terrible  example  of 
them." 

"  You  have  no  cannon." 

"  I  shall  not  fire  a  shot,  and  I  shall  not  wound 
them  in  any  way,  and  yet  they  will  fall  like  leaves 
in  autumn.  Go  to  your  friends,  and  rest  perfectly 
easy,"  said  the  captain. 

This  was  a  dismissal,  and,  wondering  much, 
Mont  went  away. 

As  he  sought  his  cabin  he  heard  the  fierce  cries 
of  the  savages,  who  swarmed  on  the  back  of  the 
iron  ship  like  flies  in  summer. 

The  night  passed  without  any  incident.  Plenty 
of  oxygen  still  passed  through  the  ship,  but  it  was 
time  to  renew  the  air,  which  was  becoming  impure. 

Breakfast  was  served  in  the  morning,  as  usual. 

Eleven  o'clock  came,  and  the  captain  showed 
no  signs  of  moving. 

This  apathy  appeared  incomprehensible  to 
Mont. 

Without  any  difficulty  the  vessel  could  have 
gone  out  to  sea,  risen  in  mid-ocean,  and  taken  in 
fresh  air. 


154  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

"  It  is  very  odd  we  don't  move,"  he  remarked. 

"  I  can't  understand  it,"  said  the  professor. 
"  But  everything  is  so  remarkable  on  board 
this  ship  that  I  have  ceased  to  wonder  at  any- 
thing." 

"  I've  had  a  taste  of  niggers,  and  don't  want 
another,"  said  Stump,  who  was  lying  on  a  mat- 
tress with  his  leg  bound  up. 

"  Hark  at  the  reptiles !  What  a  thundering 
row  they're  kicking  up !  "  remarked  Mont. 

"  I  never  heard  such  a  racket,"  answered  Carl; 
"  our  skipper  must  be  out  of  his  head  not  to  start 
the  vipers." 

The  captain  appeared  in  the  doorway. 

There  was  a  pleasant  smile  on  his  face,  and  he 
did  not  seem  at  all  alarmed  at  the  menacing 
aspect  of  affairs. 

"  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  we  resume  our  voyage 
at  twelve  o'clock  exactly." 

"  It  is  now  a  quarter  to,"  said  the  professor,  re- 
garding his  chronometer. 

"  Precisely.  I  shall  open  the  flap,  and  take  in 
air  directly." 

"  And  the  niggers?  "  said  Mont. 


ELECTRIFYING   THE   SAVAGES.  155 

"  The  Papouans?  "  replied  the  captain,  shrug- 
ging his  shoulders. 

"Won't  they  get  in?" 

"How?" 

"  Easily  enough,  by  walking  down  the  ladder. 
They  can  do  that  when  the  flap  is  up,  and  can  kill 
us  all  without  any  trouble." 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  Captain  Vindex,  "  the 
Papouans  will  not  descend  the  staircase,  although 
the  flap  is  open." 

They  regarded  this  singular  man  in  amazement. 

"  You  do  not  understand  me,"  he  continued. 
"  Come  to  the  bottom  of  the  ladder,  and  you  shall 
see." 

"Shall  we  take  our  guns?"  asked  the  pro- 
fessor. 

"  Not  the  slightest  necessity." 

"  At  least  your  slaves  are  armed  ?  " 

"  They  are  all  at  their  work;  follow  me,"  said 
the  captain. 

They  obeyed  his  order,  and  walked  to  the  foot 
of  the  metal  ladder. 

The  captain  folded  his  arms,  and  stood  by  the 
side  of  the  professor. 


t$6  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

Mont  and  Carl  were  together. 

Even  Stump  had  crawled  along  the  passage  to 
see  what  would  happen. 

Captain  Vindex  made  a  sign  to  a  slave,  who, 
touching  a  spring,  caused  a  trapdoor  in  the  back 
of  the  Searcher  to  fly  open. 

The  sunshine  descended  in  a  flood. 

Terrible  cries  of  rage  and  triumph  were  heard, 
and  a  swarm  of  natives  appeared  on  all  sides. 

At  least  twenty  made  a  rush  at  the  ladder, 
brandishing  their  tomahawks  and  spears,  while 
they  uttered  fierce  yells  and  scraps  of  war  songs. 

The  first  who  grasped  the  railing,  and  placed 
his  foot  on  the  ladder,  gave  a  bound  back,  and 
the  most  fearful  shrieks  burst  from  his  quiver- 
ing lips.  A  second,  a  third,  and  a  fourth  did 
the  same. 

What  invisible  force  was  at  work  Mont  did  not 
know.  He  thought  the  days  of  magic  and  sor- 
cery had  returned. 

A  score  of  Papouans  tried  to  descend;  but  they 
had  no  sooner  made  the  attempt  than  they  in- 
stantly retreated,  yelling  dismally,  and  threw 
themselves  into  the  sea. 


ELECTRIFYING    THE    SAVAGES.  157 

"  Stunning,"  said  Mont.  "  It's  fine,  but  I  don't 
know  how  you  do  it." 

The  captain  smiled. 

To  get  a  better  view,  Mont  put  one  foot  on  the 
staircase   and  one  hand  on  the  railing. 

He  immediately  withdrew  them,  uttering  a  cry 
which  was  loud  enough  to  wake  the  dead. 

"Oh,  oh!"  he  cried. 

"  What's  up?  "  exclaimed  Carl,  who  could  not 
help  laughing. 

"I  see  the  dodge  now,"  said  Mont;  "it's  an 
electric  battery  applied  to  the  metal  of  the  stair- 
case, and  whoever  touches  it  has  a  shock.  I've 
had  it  before  at  Coney  Island,  and  at  fairs.  You 
pay  a  dime  and  get  electrified." 

"  Ah!  "  ejaculated  the  professor,  upon  whom  a 
light  began  to  dawn. 

"  You  are  right,"  said  the  captain  calmly. 
"  I  have  connected  the  brass  staircase  with  the 
powerful  storage  battery  that  gives  us  light 
and  power,  and  the  ignorant  savages  are  fright- 
ened at  they  know  not  what.  If  they  had  per- 
sisted in  their  attempt  to  enter  the  ship  I  should 
have  applied  all   my   electrical   force,   and   they 


158  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE  SEA. 

would  have  fallen  as  dead  as  flies  on  a  fly  paper; 
but  I  did  not  wish  to  harm  them.  They  are 
enemies  unworthy  of  my  hatred." 

The  news  of  the  dreadful  and  mysterious  pains 
which  they  felt  were  spread  by  the  shocked  natives 
to  their  friends. 

Alarmed  and  horrified,  they  beat  a  precipitate 
retreat,  swimming  and  rowing  back  to  the  shore. 

In  half  an  hour  the  beach  was  deserted,  and  all 
flew  away  from  the  sea  fiend  whose  nature  they 
could  not  understand. 

"  They  take  us  for  the  Old  Nick,"  said  Mont. 

"  Twelve  o'clock,"  exclaimed  the  captain,  who 
was  always  as  punctual  as  fate;  "  I  said  we  should 
sail  at  twelve." 

At  this  moment  the  engines  began  to  revolve, 
and  the  Searcher  skimmed  over  the  surface  of  the 
sea  like  a  bird. 

The  air  was  soon  taken  into  the  reservoirs,  the 
flap  or  panel  was  closed,  and  sinking  into  the 
bosom  of  the  waves,  she  glided  along,  moved  by 
her  powerful  screw,  like  a  big  fish;  only  the  helms- 
man, sitting  in  his  solitary  place  of  lookout,  being 
responsible  for  her  management. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A  PEARL  WORTH  A  FORTUNE. 

They  traversed  the  ocean  at  a  depth  of  about 
a  hundred  yards  from  the  surface. 

The  health  of  the  captives  continued  good. 

Stump  was  the  only  grumbler;  the  others  read 
and  talked,  resigning  themselves  to  their  fate,  and 
waiting  the  next  adventure  which  should  befall 
them  in  their  singular  voyage. 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  sir,"  exclaimed  Stump 
one  day;  "  I  wish  I  could  get  my  fist  near  that 
there  captain.  If  I  wouldn't  give  him  a  knockout 
I'd  let  a  whale  come  and  eat  me." 

"  What  have  you  to  grumble  at,  my  friend  ?  " 
inquired  Professor  Woddle.  "  You  are  com- 
fortably housed,  well  fed,  and  have  a  constant 
source  of  excitement  in  the  movements  of  this  re- 
markable ship." 

"  Bother  the  ship.     Why  didn't  she  strike  on 
159 


x6o  THE    WIZARD   OF    THE   SEA. 

a  rock  and  bust  up?  "  said  Stump.  "  I'd  rather 
be  back  to  Nautical  Hall  any  day  than  here." 

"  Bide  your  time,  my  lad,"  continued  the  pro- 
fessor; "  something  will  happen  some  day." 

"  Very  prob'ble,  sir,  but  it's  waiting  for  it  to 
turn  up  as  I  don't  like.  Just  shove  me  alongside 
of  that  blessed  captain,  and  if  I  don't  give 
him " 

"  Stump,"  interrupted  Mont,  "  you  shut  up.  I 
wouldn't  mind  being  back  to  the  Hall  myself,  but 
finding  fault  won't  take  us  there." 

"  Certainly,  sir.  I  don't  have  much  chance  of 
talking.  I  shall  forget  my  own  language  soon; 
but  no  matter,  I  am  only  a  hired  boy,  I  know,  and, 
of  course,  shouldn't  have  no  feelings." 

Mont  took  the  trouble  to  pacify  him,  explain- 
ing that  to  provoke  a  quarrel  with  the  captain 
would  not  in  any  way  improve  their  position. 

On  the  contrary,  it  might  deprive  them  of  the 
little  liberty  and  comforts  they  now  enjoyed,  and 
make  their  miserable  condition  much  worse. 

Stump  saw  this  and  promised  to  be  quiet. 

He  was  a  strong  lad  for  his  age,  as  hard  as  iron, 
and  brave  as  a  young  lion. 


A   PEARL    WORTH  A   FORTUNE.  161 

"  Just  promise  me  this,  sir,"  he  said. 

"What?" 

"  If  I  see  a  good  chance  of  stepping  it,  you'll  be 
with  me?" 

"  Like  a  shot.  But  we  mustn't  do  anything 
rash,  you  know,  Stump,"  replied  Mont.  "  Cap- 
tain Vindex  is  not  to  be  trifled  with.  A  man  who 
can  build  a  ship  like  this,  make  electricity  take  the 
place  of  steam,  and  so  store  the  air  as  to  make  it 
sufficient  for  use  for  twenty-four  hours,  is  one  of 
those  great  spirits  who  think  of  everything,  and 
with  whom  we  cannot  hope  to  cope  on  equal 
terms." 

"  Don't  know  so  much  about  that,  sir,"  said 
Stump.  "  I  once  had  a  round  with  a  professional 
boxer  and  laid  him  low  in  two  minutes." 

Mont  laughed,  and  the  conversation  dropped. 

The  voyage  continued  to  the  Indian  Sea,  and 
was  not  remarkable  for  anything  more  exciting 
than  the  capture  of  several  turtles  in  nets,  and  the 
shooting  of  various  sea  birds,  which  supplied  an 
agreeable  addition  to  the  comforts  of  the  table. 

In  the  Indian  Sea  they  encountered  hundreds 
of  the  nautilus  tribe  floating  gracefully  on  the  sur- 


l6a  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

face  of  the  water,  their  tiny  sails  spread,  catching 
the  wind,  and  looking  like  little  ships. 

One  day  Captain  Vindex  entered. 

"  Would  you  like  to  see  the  banks  upon  which 
grow  the  oysters  which  contain  the  pearls?" 
asked  the  captain. 

"  Under  the  sea  ?  "  said  Mont. 

"An  excursion,  submarine?"  said  the  pro- 
fessor. 

"  Precisely  so.    Are  you  inclined  to  go?  " 

"  Very  much,  indeed,"  replied  all  in  chorus, 
with  the  exception  of  Stump. 

"  This  is  not  the  time  of  year  for  the  pearl 
divers  to  be  at  work,"  said  the  captain,  "  though 
we  may  see  one  or  two.  I  will  bring  the  ship 
nearer  land,  and  show  you  some  of  the  treasures  of 
the  deep.  They  fish  for  pearls  in  the  Gulf  of 
Bengal,  in  the  Indian  seas,  as  well  as  those  of 
China  and  Japan,  off  the  coast  of  South  America, 
and  in  the  Gulf  of  Panama  and  that  of  California, 
but  it  is  at  Ceylon  that  they  find  the  richest 
harvest." 

"That  is  a  fact,"  said  the  professor;  "the 
richest  pearls,  as  you  say,  are  found  here." 


A   PEARL    WORTH  A   FORTUNE.  163 

"  Right,"  said  the  captain.  "  We,  however, 
shall  see  more  than  any  diver  ever  dreams  of. 
Perhaps  I  shall  find  my  pearl  worth  a  million,  for 
which  I  have  searched  so  long.  I  shall  be  at  your 
service,  gentlemen,  in  a  few  hours." 

When  the  captain  had  departed  the  professor 
was  very  grave. 

Carl  and  Mont  were  delighted  at  the  prospect 
of  finding  pearls,  but  Stump  bit  his  nails  in  silence. 

"  I'll  take  home  a  pearl  or  two  for  luck !  "  ex- 
claimed Mont. 

"  If  you  ever  get  home,  sir,"  remarked  Stump, 
half  aloud. 

"  You'll  go  with  us,  won't  you?  "  asked  Mont. 

"  I'll  go  wherever  you  and  Master  Carl  go, 
Master  Mont,"  replied  Stump,  "  because  it's  my 
duty  to  watch  over  you.  But  I  aint  going  to 
have  no  sort  of  friendship  with  that  captain,  not 
by  a  jugful? " 

"  He's  all  right,  when  you  know  him." 

"  Is  he?    Then  I  don't  want  to  know  him." 

Turning  to  the  professor,  Mont  exclaimed : 

"  Shall  we  have  good  sport,  sir  ?  " 

"  Most  likely,"  answered  Mr.  Woddle. 


1 64  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

"  Are  there  many  sharks  about  ?  " 

"  It  is  no  use  disguising  the  fact.  The  sea  here- 
abouts swarms  with  them.  I  should  not  like  to 
meet  one  under  the  waves.  A  pearl  has  been 
called  by  poets  a  tear  of  the  sea,  and  anything 
more  lovely  around  a  maiden's  neck  cannot  be 
conceived.  I  have  a  strong  wish  to  hunt  for  those 
tears  of  the  sea,  and  behold  them  growing  in  their 
shells,  but  Heaven  protect  us  from  the  sharks." 

Stump  disappeared  for  a  brief  space,  and  re- 
turned with  a  long  harpoon. 

"  What  have  you  got  there  ?  "  asked  Mont. 

"It's  a  reg'lar  pig-sticker,  isn't  it,  sir?"  re- 
marked Stump,  regarding  it  admiringly. 

"  It  does  look  as  if  it  could  give  an  ugly  prod," 
remarked  Carl. 

"  They  call  it  a  harpoon ;  thing  for  sticking 
whales.  Me  and  Number  One,  that's  the  nigger 
as  waits  on  us,  is  friends,  sir,  and  he's  given  me 
this  to  fight  the  darned  sharkses  with." 

"  Bravo,  Stump !  "  exclaimed  Carl. 

"  It  would  be  '  Bravo  Stump,'  if  *I  could  rip  up 
an  inch  or  two  of  that  captain,  and  seize  the 
blessed  ship !  "  rejoined  the  boy  with  a  scowl. 


A   PEARL    WORTH  A    FORTUNE.  1 65 

Mont  said  nothing  in  reply,  but  waited  patiently 
for  the  signal  which  would  summon  him  and  his 
companions  to  the  captain's  side. 

It  came  an  hour  or  two  before  daybreak. 

A  negro  summoned  them  to  the  platform, 
near  which  the  boat  attached  to  the  ship  was 
riding. 

It  was  manned  by  four  men,  and  when  all  the 
party  were  on  board  the  negroes  began  to  row 
toward  the  island. 

At  six  o'clock  the  day  broke.  They  were  a  few 
miles  from  the  land,  which  was  distinctly  visible, 
with  a  few  trees  scattered  here  and  there. 

The  captain  stood  up  in  the  boat,  and  narrowly 
regarded  the  sea.  At  last  he  gave  a  sign,  and  the 
anchor  was  lowered. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  the  captain.  "  Put  on 
your  divers'  caps,  gentlemen,  and  follow  me." 

The  heavy  sea  garments  were  quickly  put  on. 

The  electric  lamps  were  not  needed,  because 
the  depth  was  not  great. 

Besides,  the  electric  light  would  attract  the 
sharks,  who  were  creatures  they  could  not  afford 
to  despise. 


1 66  THE    WIZARD   OF    THE   SEA. 

The  only  arm  given  to  each  of  the  party  was  a 
long,  sharp  knife. 

Captain  Vindex  set  the  example  of  springing 
into  the  sea,  the  others  following  him  as  soon  as 
they  were  thoroughly  equipped. 

The  negroes  remained  in  the  boat  awaiting  their 
return. 

A  depth  of  about  three  yards  and  a  half  did  not 
give  them  a  very  great  submersion. 

To  be  supplied  with  condensed  air,  to  be  armed, 
and  well  lighted  up  by  the  sun  was  delightful. 
They  walked  along  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  easily 
seeing  the  smallest  object  on  all  sides  of  them. 

After  some  little  walking  they  came  to  several 
oyster  banks,  from  which  the  shells  containing 
the  valuable  pearls  were  dragged  by  the  hands  of 
the  divers. 

There  were  millions  of  them,  and  the  mine 
seemed  inexhaustible. 

They  could  not  stop  to  examine  everything, 
for  it  was  necessary  to  follow  the  captain  every- 
where. 

The  road  was  uneven;  sometimes  Mont  could 
raise  his  arm  and  put  his  hand  out  of  the  water; 


A    PEARL    WORTH  A    FORTUNE.  167 

at  others,  he  was  descending  a  slope,  and  the  sun's 
rays  were  not  so  vivid. 

Everything  became  more  obscure,  and  great 
shells  were  seen  sticking  to  curiously  shaped 
rocks. 

After  a  time  a  large  grotto  appeared  before 
them,  dimly  lighted. 

The  captain  entered,  followed  by  the  rest  of  the 
party,  the  professor  eagerly  taking  note  of  every- 
thing. 

Stump  carried  his  harpoon,  which  was  a  good 
deal  longer  than  himself;  and  the  two  boys  eagerly 
looked  for  pearls,  as  if  they  expected  to  find  them 
lying  at  their  feet. 

Descending  an  inclined  plane,  Captain  Vindex 
stopped  and  pointed  out  an  object  which  they  had 
not  hitherto  perceived. 

It  was  an  oyster  of  gigantic  size. 

Lying  alone  upon  the  granite  rock,  it  took  up 
a  large  space,  and  never  had  the  professor  even 
heard  of  such  a  huge  bivalve. 

The  shells  were  open  a  little,  as  if  the  oyster 
was  feeding,  which  enabled  the  captain  to  intro- 
duce his  knife. 


168  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

Keeping  the  two  shells  open  by  both  ends  of 
his  knife,  he  pushed  back  the  flesh  of  the  oyster 
and  revealed  a  pearl  as  big  as  a  small  cocoanut. 

It  was  a  pearl  worth  at  least  a  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  MAN  OF  MYSTERY. 

Mont  advanced  to  the  oyster,  and  stretched  out 
his  hand  as  if  he  would  have  seized  the  pearl,  but 
he  was  disappointed. 

By  a  sudden  movement  the  captain  withdrew 
his  knife,  and  the  two  shells  came  together  with  a 
sharp  snap. 

Satisfied  with  showing  them  this  treasure  of 
the  deep,  he  turned  round,  and  retraced  his  steps, 
leaving  the  precious  pearl  behind  them. 

Incomprehensible  man,  he  was  now  more  than 
ever  a  mystery  to  our  hero. 

He  allowed  them  to  seek  and  take  numerous 
other  pearls,  but  would  not  let  them  touch  that  he 
had  shown  them. 

Again  they  wandered  along  the  bottom  of  the 
sea,  beholding  many  things  worthy  of  observa- 
tion. 

169 


17°  THE    WIZARD   OF    THE   SEA. 

Sometimes  the  bank  was  so  shallow  that  their 
heads  came  above  the  water;  at  others  they  sank 
several  yards  below. 

Suddenly  the  captain  stopped,  and  by  a  move- 
ment of  his  hand  ordered  the  party  to  conceal 
themselves  behind  a  projecting  rock. 

He  pointed  to  the  liquid  mass  in  front  of  them, 
and  all  followed  with  their  eyes  the  direction  in- 
dicated. 

About  five  yards  off  a  shadow  came  between  the 
party  and  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

Mont  thought  of  the  "  sea  butcher,"  as  the 
divers  of  Ceylon  call  the  shark,  and  trembled  a 
little  at  the  idea. 

But  he  deceived  himself,  for  this  time  he  had 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  monster  of  the  ocean. 

A  living  man,  an  Indian,  as  black  as  ink,  shot 
through  the  water,  doubtless  an  early  fisher  for 
pearls. 

The  bottom  of  his  canoe  could  be  seen  up  above, 
a  few  feet  beyond  his  head. 

Arriving  at  the  bottom,  which  was  about  five 
yards  deep,  he  fell  on  his  knees,  let  go  the  stone 
he  had  held  between  his  feet  to  sink  with  more 


THE  MAN  OF  MYSTERY.  171 

rapidity,  and  began  to  rake  up  the  oysters  from 
the  bank  with  both  hands. 

A  cord  was  around  his  waist,  the  other  end 
being  attached  to  his  boat,  and  this  he  pulled  at 
when  he  wanted  to  rise. 

To  his  loins  was  attached  a  little  bag,  into 
which  he  put  the  oysters  as  fast  as  he  could  gather 
them. 

The  Indian  did  not  see  anyone,  and  if  he  had  he 
would  have  been  so  alarmed  at  the  strange  spec- 
tacle of  curious-looking  beings  walking  at  ease  at 
the  bottom  of  the  sea  that  he  would  quickly  have 
retired. 

Several  times  he  remounted  and  plunged  again, 
not  getting  more  than  a  dozen  oysters  at  each 
dip. 

It  appeared  as  if  he  risked  his  life  for  very  lit- 
tle return,  as  in  a  score  of  oysters  he  might  not  find 
a  pearl  worth  having. 

All  at  once,  .while  on  his  knees,  he  made  a 
gesture  of  terror,  and  seized  his  rope  to  ascend  to 
the  surface. 

A  gigantic  mass  appeared  close  to  the  wretched 
diver. 


172  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE  SEA. 

It  was  a  huge  shark,  which  advanced  diagonally 
toward  him,  his  terrible  jaws  open  wide. 

The  Indian  threw  himself  on  one  side  and 
avoided  the  bite  of  the  shark,  but  not  the  action 
of  his  tail. 

Mont  thought  he  heard  the  jaws  snap,  but  he 
had  not  much  time  to  think,  as  he  saw  the  diver 
thrown  down  by  a  blow  of  the  animal's  tail  and 
stretched  upon  the  ground. 

All  this  was  done  in  a  few  seconds,  and  then  the 
shark  returned,  lying  upon  his  back,  in  order  the 
better  to  bite  and  divide  the  Indian  in  halves. 

Mont  was  about  to  rush  forward  to  attempt  to 
save  the  miserable  wretch's  life,  when  he  was 
pushed  rudely  back  by  Captain  Vindex. 

In  his  hand  he  held  a  knife,  and  was  evi- 
dently prepared  to  battle  for  his  life  against  the 
shark. 

The  latter,  just  about  to  seize  the  Indian  and 
snap  him  up,  perceived  his  new  adversary  and, 
replacing  himself  upon  his  belly,  directed  himself 
rapidly  toward  him. 

He  waited  coolly  the  attack  of  the  shark,  which 
was  one  of  the  largest  of  its  species,  and  when  it 


THE  MAN  OF  MYSTERY.  173 

charged  him,  he  stepped  quickly  aside  and 
plunged  his  knife  into  its  belly  up  to  the  hilt. 

Then  commenced  a  fearful  combat. 

The  shark  began  to  bleed  dreadfully,  tinging 
the  sea  in  such  a  manner  as  to  hide  the  two  in  a 
sea  of  blood. 

As  the  water  cleared  a  little,  Mont  saw  the  cap- 
tain, caught  by  one  of  the  creature's  fins,  stabbing 
at  it  as  fast  as  he  could,  but  not  being  able  to  give 
it  a  deathblow.  The  shark  lashed  the  sea  with 
fury,  and  almost  prevented  the  professor  and  his 
friends  from  keeping  their  footing,  though  they 
were  some  distance  off. 

Neither  the  professor,  Mont,  nor  Carl  dared 
to  go  to  the  help  of  the  captain,  for  it  seemed  as 
if  the  shark  would  bite  them  in  two,  and  they  lost 
their  presence  of  mind  for  a  time. 

But  Mont  soon  recovered,  and  then,  catching 
Stump's  harpoon,  he  darted  forward  to  do  his 
best. 

With  his  teeth  set,  he  precipitated  himself  to- 
ward the  shark,  and  struck  it  a  terrible  blow  in 
the  flank. 

Again  the  sea  was  saturated  with  blood. 


174  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

The  shark  agitated  the  water  with  indescrib- 
able fury,  for  our  hero  had  not  missed  his  aim. 

It  was  the  death  agony  of  the  monster. 

Stricken  to  the  heart,  he  struggled  gallantly, 
but  was  powerless  for  further  evil. 

As  the  immense  creature  was  dying,  Mont 
pulled  the  captain  from  under  him,  and  at  the 
same  moment  the  Indian,  coming  to  himself,  de- 
tached the  stone  from  his  feet  and  shot  upward. 

Following  the  example  of  the  pearl  diver,  the 
captain  struck  the  ground  with  his  heels,  as  did 
the  others,  and  all  were  soon  at  the  surface. 

The  Indian  had  regained  his  canoe,  but  he  was 
lying  at  the  bottom  in  a  half-fainting  condition. 

Satisfying  himself  that  the  poor  fellow  would 
live,  and  was  not  seriously  injured,  the  captain 
signaled  to  his  companions  to  descend,  leaving 
the  Indian  gazing  at  them  with  haggard  eyes, 
thinking  he  had  seen  some  supernatural  beings. 

Walking  as  fast  as  they  could  along  the  bottom 
of  the  sea,  they  came  in  time  to  the  anchor  of  their 
boat,  reascended  to  the  surface,  and,  taking  their 
seats,  removed  their  head-cases  with  a  feeling  of 
relief. 


THE    MAN  OF  MYSTERY.  175 

The  negroes  immediately  began  to  row  back 
to  the  Searcher. 

Captain  Vindex  was  the  first  to  speak. 

"  Thank  you,  my  lad,"  he  said,  extending  his 
hand  to  Mont. 

"  It's  nothing,"  rejoined  our  hero  bluntly; 
"  you  saved  my  life  when  we  were  wrecked,  and 
I  have  now  saved  yours  with  my  harpoon.  We 
are  equal  now,  and  I  owe  you  nothing." 

A  sickly  smile  sat  on  the  captain's  lips  for  a 
second,  and  that  was  all. 

"  Lay  to  it !  "  he  cried  to  his  men.  "  Pull  to  the 
Searcher." 

At  half-past  eight  in  the  morning  they  were 
again  on  board  of  the  ship,  having  been  absent  a 
little  more  than  three  hours. 

To  Mont  the  captain  was  more  difficult  fcP 
understand  than  ever. 

He  had  risked  his  own  life  to  save  that  of  a 
poor  Indian  whom  he  had  never  seen  before,  and 
was  never  likely  to  see  again. 

This  showed  that  he  could  not  have  a  bad  heart. 

His  heart  was  not  entirely  dead,  whatever  his 
faults  might  be. 


1 76  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

As  if  the  captain  guessed  Mont's  thoughts,  he 
observed  to  him  at  the  bottom  of  the  staircase  on 
board  the  ship : 

"  That  Indian  belonged  to  an  oppressed  race. 
I  also  am  one  of  the  oppressed,  and  to  my  last 
breath  I  shall  continue  to  be  so.  You  recognize 
now  the  bond  of  union  between  us  ?  " 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THROUGH  THE  EARTH. 

The  ship  again  continued  her  way,  traveling 
toward  the  Persian  Gulf. 

If  Captain  Vindex  wanted  to  visit  Europe,  it 
was  clear  that  he  would  have  to  go  around  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  but  that  did  not  appear  to  be 
his  design. 

He  went  direct  to  the  Red  Sea,  and,  as  the  Isth- 
mus of  Suez  was  not  then  pierced  by  a  canal,  there 
was  no  outlet  to  the  Mediterranean. 

This  puzzled  the  professor  very  much. 

One  morning  the  captain  sought  his  prisoners, 
and  said  to  the  professor : 

"  To-morrow  we  shall  be  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean." 

Mr.  Woddle  looked  at  him  with  astonishment. 

"  Does  that  surprise  you?  "  he  continued,  with 
a  smile. 

"  Certainly  it  does,  though  I  thought  I  had 


17^  THE    WIZARD  OF  THE  SEA. 

given  up  being  astonished  since  I  have  been  on 
board  your  ship." 

"  You  are  a  man  of  science;  why  should  you  be 
astonished?  " 

"  Because  you  must  travel  with  the  speed  of 
lightning  almost  to  East  Africa  and  round  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope." 

"  I  did  not  say  I  was  going  to  do  so,"  replied 
the  captain. 

"  You  can't  go  overland,  since  there  is  no  canal 
through  the  Isthmus  of  Suez " 

"  But  one  can  go  under  land,"  interrupted  the 
captain. 

"  Under  land,"  answered  the  professor,  holding 
up  his  hand. 

"  Undoubtedly,"  said  Captain  Vindex  calmly. 
"  For  a  long  while  nature  has  made  underneath 
this  tongue  of  land  what  men  are  trying  to  do  now 
on  the  surface." 

"  Does  there  exist  a  passage?  " 

"  Yes,  a  passage  or  tunnel,  which  at  fifty  feet 
depth  touches  a  solid  rock." 

"  How  did  you  discover  it — by  chance  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  the  captain.    "  I  guessed  that  such 


THROUGH    THE  EARTH.  179 

a  tunnel  existed,  and  I  have  been  through  it 
several  times." 

"  Well,"  said  the  professor,  "  we  live  to  learn. 
Our  fathers  never  dreamed  of  gas,  of  railways,  of 
telegraphs,  and  I  did  not  suspect  the  existence  of 
your  wonderful  ship." 

"  Shortly,  my  dear  sir,"  said  the  captain,  "  your 
children — that  is  to  say,  the  next  generation — 
will  travel  through  the  air  in  flying  machines; 
your  railway  engines  will  own  electricity  as  their 
motive  power.  There  is  no  end  to  scientific  dis- 
covery; the  world  is  in  its  infancy.  We  are  just 
emerging  from  barbarism.  Wait  and  watch, 
that's  my  motto.  You  must  not  be  surprised  at 
anything  in  these  days." 

"  You  are  right — we  are  on  the  march,"  said 
the  professor. 

The  day  passed,  and  at  half-past  nine  the 
Searcher  rose  to  the  surface  to  receive  her  supply 
of  air. 

Nothing  disturbed  the  silence  but  the  cry  of  the 
pelican  and  other  birds  of  the  night,  with  the 
occasional  sound  of  the  escaping  steam  of  a 
steamer  traveling  toward  the  Far  East. 


l8o  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

Mont  could  not  rest  below,  and  at  once  ascended 
to  the  platform  to  breath  the  fresh  air.  In  the 
darkness  he  saw  a  pale  light,  discolored  by  the  fog, 
which  burned  about  a  mile  off. 

"  A  lighthouse,"  he  said. 

The  captain  was  by  his  side,  and  quietly  re- 
plied : 

"  It  is  the  floating  lightship  of  Suez." 

"  We  are  near  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel,  I  sup- 
pose ?    Is  the  entrance  easy  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Captain  Vindex,  "  it  is  difficult.  I 
always  steer  the  ship  myself,  and  if  you  like  to 
come  into  the  wheelhouse  with  me  I  will  show 
you  the  way.  In  a  moment  the  Searcher  will 
sink,  and  we  shall  not  rise  till  we  are  in  the  Medi- 
terranean." 

Mont  followed  the  captain  into  the  pilot's  cabin, 
which  was  at  the  bow  of  the  vessel,  the  wheel 
working  the  rudder  by  long  chains  carried  aft. 

The  cabin  measured  six  feet  square,  four  round 
windows  of  thick  plate-glass  enabled  the  helms- 
man to  see  on  all  sides,  and  the  electric  light, 
thrown  well  forward,  made  everything  as  clear  as 
day. 


THROUGH    THE   EARTH.  181 

A  strong  negro,  with  an  eye  like  a  hawk,  was  at 
the  wheel,  but  he  gave  the  spokes  to  the  captain 
and  fell  back. 

"  Now,"  exclaimed  the  Wizard  of  the  Sea, 
"  let  us  search  for  our  passage," 

Electric  wires  communicated  with  the  engine 
room,  so  it  was  easy  to  communicate  directly  with 
the  engineers  by  pressing  a  knob  of  metal. 

Touching  this  knob,  the  speed  of  the  screw 
lessened  considerably. 

For  about  an  hour  the  ship  passed  by  a  bank  of 
sand,  which  was  varied  by  rocks,  on  which  Mont 
saw  all  kinds  of  sea  weeds,  coral  formations,  and 
curious  fish  agitating  their  fins  in  alarm  at  the 
apparition  of  the  Searcher. 

At  half-past  ten  a  long  and  large  gallery  ap- 
peared in  front,  black  and  apparently  deep. 

The  ship  entered  this  gloomy  tunnel  boldly, 
and  an  unaccustomed  rushing  sound  made  itself 
heard  against  the  sides,  which  arose  from 
the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  rushing  into  the 
Mediterranean. 

Following  the  current  with  the  speed  of  an 
arrow,  the  ship  made  its  way,  though  the  engines 


1 8a  THE    WIZARD   OF    THE    SEA. 

were  reversed  and  the  screw  went  backward  to 
abate  the  velocity  of  its  progress. 

A  single  false  turn  of  the  wheel,  and  the 
Searcher  would  have  been  dashed  to  atoms 
against  the  ironlike  roeks  on  each  side,  above, 
and  below. 

Mont  held  his  breath. 

He  could  see  nothing  but  the  foaming  waters, 
made  transparent  by  the  electric  light. 

Half  an  hour  later  the  captain  gave  up  the  helm 
to  the  negro,  and,  turning  to  our  hero,  exclaimed : 

"  We  are  in  the  Mediterranean." 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  the  ship,  carried  by  the 
current,  had  traversed  the  Isthmus  of  Suez. 

The  next  morning  they  came  to  the  surface, 
and  were  able  to  breathe  the  fresh  air  again. 

Stump  was  in  high  spirits  when  he  found  that 
they  were  near  civilization  again,  because  he 
thought  they  had  a  chance  of  escaping,  and  this 
idea  was  always  uppermost  in  his  mind. 

He  spoke  to  his  companions  about  it,  and  they 
all  agreed  to  follow  him  if  a  good  opportunity 
offered. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE   ESCAPE — CONCLUSION. 

The  ship  traveled  leisurely  along  the  Mediter- 
ranean, often  rising  in  sight  of  land  and  lying 
like  a  log  upon  the  water. 

In  the  evening  it  was  the  custom  of  the  pris- 
oners to  play  at  checkers,  dominoes,  or  some  game 
they  liked;  and  after  the  fourth  day  in  the  Medi- 
terranean, Stump,  instead  of  putting  the  games  on 
the  table,  shut  the  door,  and,  in  a  mysterious  way, 
exclaimed : 

"  I've  squared  the  nigger !  " 

"Which?  "asked  Mont 

"  Number  One.  He  as  waits  upon  us.  His 
real  name's  Smunko.  I've  found  that  out.  Me 
and  he's  firm  friends.  I've  told  him  I  want  to 
bolt,  and  he  says  he  shan't  let  on  to  the  skipper,  or 
any  of  them,  though  they  are  all  a  lot  of  spies." 

"  Perhaps  he's  one,  too,"  observed  the  pro- 
fessor, smiling. 

183 


1 84  THE    WIZARD  OF   THE   SEA. 

"  Not  he,  sir,"  answered  the  boy;  "  Smunko's 
right  enough.  He's  going  to  keep  all  the  other 
chaps  quiet,  some  dark  night,  when  we  are  near 
the  land.  Then  we  are  to  go  on  the  platform  and 
swim  for  our  lives." 

"  A  very  good  arrangement,  if  it  can  be  carried 
out,"  remarked  the  professor.  "  But  I  fear  your 
friend  Smunko  is  not  to  be  depended  upon." 

Stump  was  indignant. 

"  The  fact  is,"  went  on  the  professor,  "  I  don't 
want  to  discourage  the  lad,  but  I  have  no  wish 
that  he  should  do  anything  rash,  and  involve  us 
in  a  mess.  The  captain  might  doom  us  to  soli- 
tary confinement.  At  present  we  are  treated 
liberally,  if  we  are  prisoners." 

"All  right,  sir,"  replied  Stump,  "I'll  turn  it 
up  as  far  as  you  are  concerned.  If  Master  Mont 
likes  to  come  with  me,  all  well  and  good;  if  not  he 
can  let  it  alone.  I  know  my  game,  and  I  mean  to 
stick  to  it." 

"  Don't  show  your  nasty  temper,  Stump,"  said 
our  hero. 

"  Aint  being  cooped  up  here  like  a  turkey  in  a 
pen,   fatting   for   Christmas,   enough  to   rile   a 


THE  ESCAPE— CONCLUSION.  185 

bishop  ?  "  asked  the  boy.  "  But  I  shan't  say  no 
more.  When  all's  ready  I'll  give  you  one  more 
chance,  and  if  you  aint  with  me,  I'm  off  alone." 

It  was  impossible  to  check  Stump's  will.  The 
only  one  who  had  any  influence  over  him  was 
Mont. 

He  was  a  boy  rudely  brought  up,  unaccustomed 
to  control  his  passions,  and  having  a  decided 
character,  but  to  our  hero  he  was  deeply  attached. 

The  next  day  the  ship  floated  near  an  island, 
which  the  professor  declared  to  be  the  Isle  of 
Cyprus. 

In  the  evening  Stump  whispered  to  Mont : 

"  Now,  sir,  all's  ready.  Smunko's  piping  off 
the  other  blacks;  we're  not  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  land." 

Mont's  heart  beat  high. 

"  Tell  the  others,"  he  said. 

"  No;  let  you  and  I  go  together." 

"  I  can't  leave  Carl,  and  the  professor  is  one  of 
us." 

In  this  Mont  was  firm. 

He  would  not  leave  the  Searcher  without  Carl 
and  the  professor. 


186  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

So  the  two  were  told  that  all  was  ready. 

"  Come  on,  now,"  said  Mont.  "  We  must  not 
lose  our  chance." 

With  the  valuable  pearls  they  had  secured  in 
the  Indian  Ocean  in  their  pockets,  the  others  fol- 
lowed Mont  to  the  deck. 

All  hearts  beat  loudly. 

"  There  is  a  boat !  "  whispered  Carl.  "  Come 
on." 

He  dropped  into  the  sea,  and  the  others  did  the 
same. 

Not  far  away  floated  a  log,  and  to  this  they 
clung. 

They  paddled  with  their  hands,  and  were  soon 
some  distance  away  from  the  submarine  monster. 

Then  they  cried  for  help. 

The  boat  they  had  seen  came  in  their  direction. 

They  were  seen,  and  the  natives  from  the  island 
let  out  a  shout. 

Then  suddenly  Captain  Vindex  appeared  on  the 
deck  of  the  Searcher. 

He  shook  his  fist  at  the  party. 

Stump  laughed  at  him;  the  others  waved  him 
off. 


THE  ESCAPE— CONCLUSION.  187 

"  She  is  going  down !  "  cried  Mont.  "  Quick, 
pull  for  the  shore,  before  you  are  wrecked !  " 

The  natives  did  not  like  the  looks  of  the  strange 
submarine  ship,  and  they  pulled  with  all  strength. 

By  the  agitation  in  the  water  the  party  knew 
the  Searcher  was  after  them. 

But  the  shore  was  gained,  and  they  were  safe. 

Then  came  a  fearful  shock. 

In  his  eagerness  to  catch  them  Captain  Vin- 
dex  had  allowed  the  Searcher  to  run  into  the 
rocks. 

The  submarine  craft  shot  out  of  the  water, 
and  then 

Bang !    Boom !    Crash ! 

It  was  as  if  heaven  and  earth  were  splitting  in 
twain. 

The  whole  island  shook,  and  all  in  the  boat  fell 
flat. 

The  Searcher  had  been  blown  to  atoms. 

The  air  was  filled  with  flying  bits  of  iron  and 
steel. 

Of  course  all  on  board  were  instantly  killed. 

It  was  a  long  while  before  Mont  and  his  com- 
panions recovered. 


1 88  THE    WIZARD   OF   THE   SEA. 

"  Out  of  it  at  last,  thank  Heaven!  "  murmured 
Professor  Woddle,  and  all  said    "  Amen." 

A  month  later  the  little  party  returned  to  the 
United  States. 

Mont's  widowed  mother  was  overjoyed  to  see 
him  alive,  and  Carl's  parents  were  equally  elated, 
and  so  were  the  many  friends  at  Nautical  Hall. 

The  pearls  were  equally  divided,  and  to-day 
all  of  the  party  are  rich  men. 

"  But  I  wouldn't  take  another  such  trip,"  says 
Mont.  "  No,  not  to  pick  up  all  the  hidden  treas- 
ures of  the  ocean.  After  this  I'm  going  to  remain 
at  Nautical  Hall  and  take  the  balance  of  my  sea 
training  on  land.  I've  had  all  I  want  of  such  sub- 
marine ships  as  the  Searcher,  and  such  mysterious 
men  as  was  the  Wizard  of  the  Sea." 


THE   END. 


This  BOOK  may  be  kept  out  TWO  WEEKS 
ONLY,  and  is  subject  to  a  fine  of  FIVE 
CENTS  a  day  thereafter.  It  is  DUE  on  the 
DAY  indicated  below: 


